Shantae: The Snake Dancer
by Incredibleintruder
Summary: There is a particular saleswoman with mysterious ability, a snake-woman named Tuki, who helps Shantae in her quest by selling strong and mysterious dances. However, could there be another reason altogether as to why she helps the half-genie hero?
1. The Snake Dancer

Shantae : The Snake Dancer

What kind of sword was this?

Looking through her inventory, Shantae dearly hoped that she had something that could help her in this tenuous situation. Having gone through a long ordeal, vanquished multiple enemies and being a little exhausted from such a long trip, the last thing she expected to see get in her way was a gigantic wall, one that she had no way around or below. Normally, such a challenge would be easily overcome by using her talent of transformation, dancing into her monkey form to overcome this, yet the multiple spikes and vicious enemies clinging on the surface seemed to imply that this solution was unfortunately unavailable for her at this moment. Her equipment, as small as it was, didn't include any rope, or any items that could allow her to jump higher, or to protect herself against such elements, what she did find, however, was a completely useless sword that, last she recall, Bolo had crafted for her.

''This is the last time I let Bolo near a forge. I can't even attack with a sword so bizarrely-made...''

Inspecting it, it wasn't that the hilt was poorly made, nor that the blade was full of faults in its creation, but rather that the blade had not been inserted and solidified in the correct manner, thus rendering the weapon goofy and useless. Sighing as she prepared to return to Scuttle Town to look for proper tools and equipment, she observed a couple of vases near the humongous wall itself. Figuring that she could smash those to get some more gems to actually purchase what she needed, she proceeded to use her hair to whip them to pieces. With each of them adding to her riches, a singular one seemed too tough to break as its smaller, rounder and purple appearance made it look more fragile than the others, with the skull motif on its side contrasting greatly with that supposition. Curious about why her attack didn't shatter that vase like the others, the fact that it began to shake surprised Shantae as something came out of it at blinding speed, making the vase shake even further as a result until it finally stopped, a long serpentine form unleashed from what seemed like an endless void.

''Hey, what's the big idea here? Why are you trying to shatter my vase?''

With an indignant look on her face and a hand on her weirdly humanoid hips, the being that emerged from the vase, a snake-girl green of scales, with red hair that emerged in two pig-tails, looked at Shantae, easily towering over her due to the immense length of her tail, which was still connected to the vase itself. ''Seriously, don't break my magical vase, that's how I get around, miss break-a-lot...''

Astonished that one action that she had done so often in the past went on to give her something besides gems or healing items, Shantae was baffled by the definitely feminine woman, whose anatomy was of a snake, but with a body that suggested heavily womanly features, like wide hips, round breasts and a firm butt if the half-genie was not mistaken. Snapping back to reality, Shantae felt a little at lost as she looked with a small look of embarrassment at the snake-girl. ''Uh...I'm sorry. I thought that breaking this vase would give me some gems...''

''Oh, well that explains it then,'' the snake-girl said, her anger dissolving rather quickly as she inspected Shantae, curious about the one that had this violent streak against pottery. ''I've never understood why so many people stock their money in vases myself. I even sometimes receive some by accident, not that I mind of course. The name's Tuki, by the way. I'm what you might call a magical lamia and this vase, alongside many others like it, is my home. So don't try to break it anymore, okay?''

A little relieved that this Tuki seemed not to be prone to violent outbursts of anger and that she was reasonable enough, Shantae then went on to relax a little, no longer worried that she might have to defend herself against another enemy or vicious creature. ''Sorry again for the attack, Tuki. My name's Shantae and it's a pleasure to meet you.''

''So, how comes a lovely little dancer like you is around these parts, uh? That's a dangerous little area that you're in, you know,'' Tuki advised, looking Shantae over once more. ''And that sword seems pretty useless to me as far as I'm concerned...''

''I'm not some helpless woman, Tuki. I'm a half-genie guardian and I know how to fight and to defend myself,'' Shantae replied defensively, a little taken aback by how that lamia seemed to underestimate her. ''Besides, how did you even know I'm a dancer?''

''The hips, darling. They cannot lie,'' Tuki said with a wink, before herself swaying her hips a little. ''I'm a dancer too. One of the best there is, although my serpentine form certainly gives me an unfair advantage in that department.''

Looking at how svelte and fluid her moves were despite their simplicity, Shantae could almost believe that this Tuki might be the real deal when it came to belly-dancing, albeit a touch of pride inside her brushed that notion aside for the moment as she felt a little excited to meet another dancer in such a remote area. ''My mentors were genies, who taught me magical dances. Who trained you?''

''Ah, genie dances. I know a few of those, actually. They're the one that allow genies to change shape, right? Those are always fun,'' Tuki said,, confident and more than a little prideful as she went on to mimic the monkey dance in a perfect fashion, as if a genie herself had taught her the moves. ''I'm more of a trader, you see. Someone teaches me a dance and I teach them one, a fair arrangement most of the time. Say...Would you be interested in a trade of some kind?''

Figuring that this might be worth it, there was a chance that this Tuki knew a dance that she had either forgotten due to extreme lack of practice, or one that she had never known. Perhaps even she knew one that would make it possible for her to get over this obstacle in her way. ''All right, how do you propose we do this, then? Shall I begin and teach you a dance and then you'll teach me one, or maybe we can see what might interest the other?''

''Let's go for a more chaotic approach, I say. I'll begin~'' Tuki said, really getting into it as she lifted her arms in the air slightly, before then swinging her hips in a fashion that, at first glance, was much alike what she did a few moments ago, yet there was a key difference that Shantae was barely able to notice. There was some unique form of energy that radiated along Tuki's green scales, making her moves seems a little more radiant, a little more captivating to the trained eyes. ''Good. Just look at my moves and study them, little half-genie woman. Make sure you keep visual contact~''

The way the lamia moved was uncanny, as her hips went on to sway in a wide arc, stopping not because they had reached their limit, but because of a particularly devious and subtle pendulum effect that was magnified by the rampant and near-invisible energy emerging from the scales. With Shantae being slightly amazed by the talent on display, a certain desire not only to learn, but just to watch, was rising within her mind, too captivated by the beauty on display. Each little motions imprinting themselves in the deepest recesses of her thoughts, she felt mesmerized, caught in an allure that seemed to be out of this world as the lamia merely kept on going, focused on her performance.

''So good of you to stay silent and to analyze deeply every moves, darling. Just listen, watch and follow along my hips along with my words. You can do that for me, certainly?'' Tuki said, half-encouraging and half-teasing, a little triumphant smile appearing on her serpentine face as she sent waves on her stomach before then going on to turn around, sending waves with her tail to accentuate her butt in a flattering fashion. ''Have you memorized the moves yet?''

It was impossible to keep up, as far as Shantae was concerned, as she was caught between an admirer's trance and a professional analysis, with neither coming on top of the other in terms of importance. While her dancer experience told her that this was magnificent and that it would pay well to understand everything to its very core, the admirer in her merely wanted to let her thoughts get astray and to bask in the beauty, for this to never end. Unbeknownst to her, spirals began forming in her eyes as the subtle, yet powerful hypnosis that Tuki emanated and strengthened with her performance finally pierced through the passive defenses within the half-genie's mind. ''I...I...''

''Very well then. I suppose I should continue this and do some more to make sure you get it. You'll owe me for this, though~'' Tuki pleasantly said, enjoying this little moment greatly. Taking this as a little revenge for the way she was introduced to this half-genie girl, there was also a sense of pleasure that made this little situation a true joy for her as a dancer. Too many were afraid or unaware of her to properly interact with her, with dancers being much less numerous as far as her encounters were to be described. Part vengeance, part pleasure, part teaching and a little something else as well that she could not describe, this hypnotic experience was something that she wanted to prolong as much as possible. '' Describe to me how you're feeling, dear~''

Dazed and slightly confused, yet in a manner that brought a weird peace to her whole body, Shantae began to wobble a little on her feet, her own head and body trying to replicate Tuki's moves on its own. Without thinking about it, she went on to replicate the lamia's move pretty well, despite the advantage the unusual dancer had over her as her lithe movements and her capacity to quickly understand any dance moves made Shantae a little prodigy under the sharp focus of her hypnotic trance. Bombarded by various feelings and by what she felt she needed to do as well as what she knew she simply had to achieve, Shantae could only mumble as none of her words reached Tuki's ears.

''Come closer and say how you feel to me. Sit on my body and let me lull you into a much more relaxing position, half-genie girl,'' Tuki suggested, slowing down the waves of her tail considerably in order for Shantae to follow this subtle command of hers. Her own hips and butt still being quite active, her unique anatomy allowed her to keep this hypnotic effect and unseemly performance as she motioned for Shantae to follow along with the single move of a finger.

Her trance getting stronger and her mouth slightly open, Shantae obeyed as she took advantage of the slow pacing of Tuki's tail to sit comfortably on the lamia. The waves crashing down slowly on her lower body, the half-genie could not believe just how good, how personal a dance could be, as she drank from Tuki's form, the dancer's part of her done with memorizing the moves as only the admirer in her was left within her mindset. Still too dazed to answer, she whispered through an intense effort, if only to try and play it Tuki's way, oblivious to the fact that her trance was making her much more suggestible and much more concerned about pleasing the lamia. ''I am...awed, impressed...I felt that you might...be a little too confident...in your skills...But I see now...that you might be...the best dancer in all of...Sequin Land...''

''Such a flatterer~'' Tuki said with a wink, allowing for Shantae to drink more of this fluid performance before letting her go from her seated position, doing so with a quick motions of her hips and faster waves on her tail. ''I trust you've learned the dance by now. Now, teach me yours, darling~''

Her eyes still caught on Tuki's body despite the lamia's dance slowly dying down, the moves were all still set in her head as the phantom of that performance haunted her thoughts. Still, she had to teach her something as part of their agreement as she opted for the elephant dance, one that she had learned much later. Bring her hands together before her chest, she then jerked her hips from side to side, as her long ponytail swished along those rough movements, the strengths on showcase being crucial for the toughness of that large animal to go through her.

At first a little unimpressed by such amateurish moves, Tuki began to change her appreciation as she could feel magic converging toward Shantae's position, adding to the nature and concept behind this routine. Noticing that behind those twirls and those hip bumps were a dedication and a tenacity that was essential to the dance, Tuki understood the audacity as she went from slightly disappointed to pleasantly surprised, as the lithe and sumptuous form of the half-genie was very good at conveying passion and skills through such an act as this rough dancing. ''Hmmmm, very good. I can see you have talents~''

Wanting to thank her on the spot, her professional attitude kept Shantae from ceasing her motions, even though those words of praise meant the world to her after witnessing the true talent of the lamia dancer. Her trance helping her focus greatly, Shantae went on to to transform into her elephant form, her eyes still spiraling despite her much larger shape.

''Bravo. Now, since you owe me a little favor, here's what I want you to do: forget this dance you've just shown me. I just want you to replace that dance with the one I've taught you. That does seem fair to you, doesn't it?'' Tuki said, getting much closer to Shantae's elephant ears, whispering sweetly in them as her tail brushed against the half-genie's trump.

Normally, such a deal would sound ridiculous to one as experienced as Shantae, yet the hypnotic hold Tuki had on her, combined with the careful preparation and wording, made it impossible for her to refuse as the motions that allowed her to transform into such a shape were erased, replaced by this dance with unknown effects. The trade effectively complete, Shantae now only had to truly test this dance to see just what it could do.

Chuckling lightly, Tuki then continued to whisper honeyed words in Shantae's ears, caught up in her own game and in the mood that she had unwittingly created with her devious attitude. ''You're a great dancer, Shantae. I want to make more trades with you and, in my own way, I'm quite sure you want to trade some more with me too. Whenever you see a vase like this one in your adventures, give it a little knock...And we'll go through this all over again,'' Tuki promised, giving the transformed Shantae a little kiss on her now massive cheek. ''You won't mind this arrangement of you forgetting a dance each time, so long as it allows for us to continue this trading arrangement and you'll actually be looking forward to seeing me again. I know I'll be eager to...''

Finishing her sentence, Tuki then snapped her fingers, before then going back into her vase with a smile on her face. Hungry, she still had to take care of some other business, yet she was already excited for the next trade with the half-genie girl.

Shantae, changing back to her original form, felt a little dizzy, yet overall happy about the whole thing. Unaware about just how this had happened, she had forgotten the elephant dance, the moves being blurry within her memory, yet she now knew a whole new dance. Unable to properly thank Tuki for this exchange of technique, she tried this new dance of her as hips swaying made way for belly bumps and navel bobbing, as Shantae changed her shape again, only this time in an arachnid form. Seeing that there was perhaps a way with which to climb up this obstacle thanks to the natural abilities of spiders, she smiled lightly as she went her way up the wall that had blocked her a few moments ago. Pleased that she had made a new friend and ally, Shantae dearly hoped to see Tuki again, to thank her as well as perhaps trade some more moves with her.

Unbeknownst to the half-genie, she'd be doing this a lot, each time with a smile on both her and Tuki's face.


	2. Dancing Trance

Shantae : Dancing Trance

Self-doubt was most assuredly her worst enemy.

As she moved in the backstage of the dance parlor, Shantae felt a tinge of anxiety in her throat and her stomach, as she knew she'd need to perform once again, trying to keep up with the reputation she had gained. Despite the fact that she had vanquished the Pirate Lord, saved Sequin Land too many times to count and fought monsters twice her size, she always had that little fear lodged within her gut that made her slightly hesitate to get on the stage. They all loved her, of course, and that little concern would be reduced to naught when the spotlights would be on her, yet there was always this nagging little thought that dragged her upbeat attitude down.

 _What if she made a mistake?_

Always shouldering huge responsibilities and taking it all upon itself when danger arose, the quiet moments like these ones seemed to reduce her to a first-time performer, a thing that she hated to her core. Taking a deep breath, she then went on to face the music, almost literally in that situation, as she went on to hear the tune playing for her, the one she would be performing to. The music flowing into her soul and animating her body, she began immediately to dance for the crowd as her hips seemed to be on fire as she shook them. With a playful smirk on her face to diminish her own stress, she moved to the center of the stage, one step at a time, to make sure that she'd be seen by everyone. Already, gems were thrown on the stage, as they all cheered for her to continue. However, as her performance continued, she began to lose track of herself as her movements went on to become natural, flowing like water as her arms, hips and belly were smoothly and gracefully swaying for the spectators. A tiny smile forming on her lips and her eyes closing, she knew what she was experiencing.

It was a dancing trance.

From what she knew and experienced, these kind of events occurred mostly when the dancer went on to achieve a level of concentration unheard of, as if their body itself went on to communicate their feelings without any thoughts disrupting the flow of their art. With their hips, belly and chest being activated by a will seemingly of their own, the true spirit of the dance, as well as how capable the dancer truly was, shone through. Lost in this sensation, Shantae knew that this was a good omen as any of he doubts simply vanished when this happened, as nothing else was important beside this dance of hers. Combing Egyptian twirls, hips swaying, snake-like motions amongst many moves that many experts would give anything to be able to replicate, she was on fire. Not even the cheers of the crowd as well as the sounds of the gem clattering on the stage seemed to disturb her, as the trance had taken her good...Until it vanished, the tune silently reduced to nothingness as another one started, a sign that it was time for the next dancer to get on stage. Taking her winnings, Shantae bowed, smiled, then left on the other side of the stage, ready to call it a night.

''My oh my, Shantae. If you keep this up, perhaps you just ought to stop the Guardian Genie business and just dance here full-time,'' the parlor owner told her, a sly smirk on her face. ''With your winnings in the past few days, it seems like you could make a fortune in no time.''

Laughing a little at the suggestion, Shantae merely refused as she took her pay and headed straight home, ready to call it a night. Happy that the owner, a tough lady to impress, had giving her such open praise, Shantae began to see the merit of a life as a dancer, yet understood that someone had to protect Scuttle Town from danger, as it was a magnet that seemed to attract all kinds of it. That, and her adventures, for the most part, made her life much more interesting, even though it did seem to make it so she had less and less time to practice her dancing. It was rough to find the time to properly train when in a dungeon or when facing dangerous monsters, yet she always managed to find some new moves and new techniques in her travel, be it from genies, ancient scrolls or even Tuki, the eternal oddity in Shantae's life. Always seeming to be found in places Shantae visited, that snake-woman traded gems or other dances for new ones, with some that were either incredibly powerful or just plain silly. Despite it all, Tuki seemed to always be cheerful and whenever Shantae was near her, she couldn't help but feel a little overjoyed that she could connect with someone thanks to the passion that they both vowed to the art of belly-dancing. Ever since she first met Tuki by trying to smash her jar, Shantae had seemingly learned a lot of new ways to perform her art.

Snapping back to reality as she stopped reminiscing about her adventures, Shantae entered the lighthouse which served as her home, as she dropped the gems she had gained in a treasure chest on the first floor. Feeling that it was rather full indeed, a rare happenstance, perhaps there was some truth to what the owner had been saying earlier. Perhaps she had been giving plenty of amazing performances in the last few days, as now that she thought about it, those dancing trances, rare occurrences usually, were happening more and more often. Uncertain what this meant or how this came to be, perhaps she'd need to investigate on this. Who knew, perhaps it was her genie heritage that made it easier for her to progress...Or perhaps she was just getting much better without realizing it. Either way, this would have to wait for tomorrow as she felt sleepy, wishing for slumber to come soon so that she'd be ready to face tomorrow, as there would be no telling if Risky Boots would attack the town tomorrow. Climbing to the top floor, she then eyed her bed with a little smile on her face, an expression that was soon dropped as she saw something that she recognized instantly: a blue and purple jar set on the floor. Tuki's own jar.

Curious about this, all thoughts of going to sleep went away as Shantae approached the always-clean and shiny object, puzzled as to what it was doing there. While she had always been curious as to how so many of these jars could be found during her travels, she had no idea just how it had arrived in her own home of all places. The last time someone had placed an item within her home, it was a bath that was also a trap of some sort, so she wouldn't be caught unaware this time. Examining the jar in question, many questions came one by one as to how it arrived here and why. Who dropped it in here? For what purpose? Did it just appear out of thin air? Did Tuki have anything to do with this? All those questions, though, began to dim as the sound of a melodious flute began to be heard coming from inside the jar. A touch repetitive, fast-paced yet easy to memorize, the many sounds began to slowly enrapture Shantae as her train of thought began to slow down to a crawl. Automatically, as if guided by unseen forces, she then went on to jump inside the jar, which swallowed her whole, making her disappear entirely from the lighthouse.

Half-conscious, she could see that the moment she had entered the jar, it had begun sucking her in as for a very brief moment, everything was pitch black, then she saw a blinding light. All the while, the music got more intense as she felt dizzy, but also near-addicted to the sound. Stuck in her head, it seemed to invade her thoughts as flashes of green scales, of dancing and of a very pleasant hiss made their way into her mind. Then, as the world turned around and her body had difficulty adjusting itself, she popped out of an identical jar as she was nearly launched into the air, as if propelled like a cannonball. She was, luckily, caught in extremis by a large, thick and very long tail that seemed to be eerily familiar, as its green and shiny scales, followed by a few brown a beige spots, coiled her up as if expecting this sudden and rapid arrival. ''There you are!'' a voice said, coming out as familiar as the color and thickness of the tail, as Shantae wanted to say that she did recognize that it was Tuki. ''So, how are things for my favourite half-genie hero?''

The music stopping as Tuki spoke, Shantae slowly began to get her bearings back as her vision adjusted herself to truly see where she was and some details about Tuki that she never had the chance to perceive before. Having arrived in a very lengthy room, filled with light tones of purple, white and very faint pink, Shantae felt the heat that seemed to permeate this endless room as another important detail caught her eye while her groggy state was almost dissipated: Tuki's tail. Going on endlessly, it seemed that Tuki was no regular snake-woman, as her tail stretched out to infinity, or something that seemed quite like it. Not seeing the end of it, Shantae instead went to the source of it all as she saw Tuki smiling in a confident manner, one hand on her large scaly hips, as she sported something that she had never seen her wear before: a turban with a little feather attached to a red gem on the front. Finally regaining control entirely, Shantae almost felt lost as she spoke to the snake-woman in search of answers. ''W-what is this place? What just happened to me? And what's with the turban?''

''Oh, right. Well, the turban comes from another place entirely, far away from Sequin Land. There was a man who called himself a snake-charmer and, when he saw me, he took it upon himself to charm and mesmerize me with his music. He wasn't bad at all...'' Tuki said, a little mischievous grin on her face as she then threw a wink at Shantae. ''But I'm much better in the charming department, thus why I took his flute and his turban as compensation for what he tried to do~''

''This doesn't really answer the other two questions, Tuki,'' Shantae replied, witnessing quite easily that the snake-woman was more than comfortable around her, as if they were old friends rather than acquaintances.

''Oh, right, sorry,'' Tuki said, a little flustered for a few seconds, before returning to her ever-confident self. ''We're in my home, the place where the original jar comes from. It's a different dimension, one where I can place my body in without it pestering anyone. As for what happened to you, why, I charmed you with my flute, of course. The snake-charmer actually went on to teach me his art and I adapted it, as you see-''

''You...charmed me? Isn't that thing only supposed to work on snakes? Shouldn't you be the one being bizarrely charmed by that music you played before?'' Shantae asked, confused as she then went on to cross her arms, looking at Tuki with a scowl on her face. ''Besides, you should have just asked if I wanted to get in, not put me under your spell. That's just wrong, Tuki.''

''Well, to answer your first question, my dear, I have powers of mesmerism that few can really resist and I've trained myself to use them in all sorts of methods, including lately with this flute. If I was weak-willed and easy to bring under a trance, it would just be ridiculous,'' Tuki said, a little crossed about this question. ''As for the second one, you just don't really know it yet but you've been brought in a hypnotic trance plenty of time. How do you think you get to learn all those new dances moves in a few minutes, forgetting others while at it? I've been doing it since we first met, Shantae dear.''

With this revelation reducing Shantae to silence for a few awkward seconds, a lot of things started to strangely make sense as the few changes in her technique and her memory did get explained by this little information. For a while, she hadn't been all that good at memorizing new dances, yet in the past few months, when she first met the serpentine saleswoman, she had grown to remember more and more of her dances. The way she seemed to get lost in her movements lately, how she was at peace, in a perfectly instinctive control over her performances, was much more rational now that hypnosis had entered the picture. Tuki, in her own way, had taken over and upgraded her skills slowly over time, despite Shantae never quite remembering how and never questioning why. ''But...Why?'' Shantae asked, much more puzzled than anything as she looked at Tuki nervously, unsure whether she was truly safe with this snake-woman now that she knew.

''Because you've got talent, baby,'' Tuki said with a tint of passion beneath her little smirk. ''When I met you for the first time, I knew that you were a dancer and you showed me your stuff. What I saw didn't disappoint and I wanted to see more of it, to see it develop and I just had to make sure your potential wouldn't be wasted. Because hips don't lie, darling, and yours were telling a story that just had to be completed for their wonders to be truly known~''

Sheltering doubt within her mind, Shantae wanted to trust Tuki as there seemed to be a sincerity in her tone, yet she wasn't sure whether it would be a good idea to just go on and let this go on like this. She didn't quite enjoy not remembering a few key details like this, as perhaps she could be taken advantage of, or worse. Despite the fact that Tuki had finally gone on to tell the truth of the matter and that it was mostly beneficial for Shantae in the end, she simply had to make sure that she'd stop things right there. However, as Shantae was about to raise her voice, Tuki looked at her in the eyes and spoke.

''Now, we're kind of losing time on your further lessons, dear, and while I'm sure we have a lot to talk about, I do admit that I want to further see your work your magic...Now... **Dance time** ~''

Upon hearing the last two words uttered by Tuki, Shantae began to feel a little dizzy, yet also strangely warm and comfortable as she went on to move her hips in a way that felt unfamiliar to her. Doing so in a serpentine and continuous fashion, graceful beyond what she thought herself capable of, a wave of magic shook through her, not unlike when she used her transformation dance, yet this one seemed only to pass over her skin. Utterly focused, she nonetheless felt this aura wash over her as her clothes vanished for a few seconds in a flash as new ones covered her. A golden and metallic bra, a golden chain on her hips and waist, a little sapphire shaped like a heart covering her privates, a golden tiara adorned with a cobra, wristbands made of pure gold, and a little sapphire lodged in her navel made for her new costume, as she felt her hair braid itself in all its length and glory. Feeling warm, fuzzy and with the spirit of the dance invading her mind, Shantae was already lost in a trance until she heard two small clanging sounds on the ground near her, as she snapped out of it quickly upon hearing them.

''Hmm, still a few kinks to work out of this one. The sword really needs to go,'' Tuki lightly complained, a part of her thick body pushing it away from Shantae as the half-genie hero came back to her senses.

Witnessing that she had changed into what she had dubbed her ''Space Princess'' costume, Shantae felt furious for a few seconds, until she realized that she hadn't brought this outfit along with her. How did she even change into this? How did her hair get to braid itself in such a perfect manner? She simply had to know. ''What happened? How did I even get in this getup? And what's with the broken sword on the floor?''

''My, you're full of questions tonight. Then again, I did finally tell you the truth about all of our little encounters, so I suppose it was to be expected,'' Tuki said, looking away as if she couldn't face how Shantae was reacting. ''When I began to seriously train you, I tried to see if I could not just make you learn to create new dances instead of mimicking ancient ones. This one is a creation, an imperfect one, of you and I as you followed my instructions and suggestions. Since you can transform your entire being, I thought that perhaps we could just change a few parts instead of your body, but so far the only success that we had was that we could make you change your clothes through dancing, with a few accessories on the side...As for the sword, this is the one that your friend made. I figured that since it was inefficient as a weapon, it could be used as a tool for sword-dancing, but it was too flimsy to handle this. I think we should just throw it away at this point.''

A little dumbstruck about this explanation, Shantae still listened intently as she began to realize that, perhaps, this could all lead to several breakthroughs not only in her dancing, but also with her task as a Guardian Genie. What if she found new forms to change to? What if she could change gear in a flash, teleporting it to her side with only a dance? In her own way, despite the flaw in her approach, Tuki did try to help. Maybe, just maybe, it would be wise to keep at it, as Shantae sighed and changed her attitude as she looked at Tuki with a calm, but serious expression. ''Okay...I want you to know that, even though I'm kind of angry at how your intentions seemed to overlap my feelings on the subject...I think this would be a good idea to proceed like this for a little while longer.''

''What do you mean?'' Tuki asked, her attitude changing drastically as she got closer to Shantae, stopping her actions for a little while.

''The fact that you've been training me under hypnosis and experimented with my talents and magic did lead to some solid breakthroughs, even though I think you've been wrong to do so without asking me first. With what you've accomplished, though, I think we should continue, but I want to make certain things clear before we even continue,'' Shantae said, taking a deep breath as she'd have a lot of things to say on the matter. ''First, I want to remember everything that has been happening since you've started to hypnotize me. Every little details, every moments, back in my memory, with nothing left out of place and I want to remember everything for future sessions as well. Second, I want to make sure that you never do this outside of this dimension, as I'm not sure it would be wise for me to lose control in any place else. Third, you will not take advantage of me when I'm under your control. I don't want to do anything that I would regret while I'm vulnerable. Finally, you're going to ask me before every sessions if I want to be hypnotized or not. I want to have a choice here. If you can agree to all of this, then I'll try to trust you and we can resume your experiments and lessons.''

With Tuki rather dumbfounded about all of these demands, she listened on and then giggled a little, amused by this turn of events. ''Fine, I agree on all things. If it lets me keep my fun, then it's all good~'' she declared with a playful wink, before then going on to sway her hips from side to side before Shantae's eyes. '' First, let me make you remember everything, as you've asked~''

Content that Tuki agreed to her demand, Shantae didn't even have the opportunity to voice her approval as Tuki's hips, in their sway, seemed to shine in a way that felt absolutely alluring to her. With a clockwork precision, yet with a graceful and serpentine quality to them, Tuki's hips never missed a beat as her green scales invited Shantae's own eyes to follow them, to let herself indulge her sight on their beauty. Transfixed and mesmerized, Shantae's voice grew silent as her eyes began to grow dim, her pupils disappearing while her senses began to entirely focus on the dance offered to her. Relaxed and in a pleasantly groggy disposition, Shantae followed the snake dancer's hips as they went right to left...right to left...right to left...as she already began her new descent into hypnotic bliss as Tuki began to chuckle at the sight.

''There, follow my hips and look all you want. It's okay to just go on and stare, to follow the beautiful pattern with your eyes as you begin to fall into a light trance,'' Tuki began to say, taking things slow for the moment, enjoying the situation as this new paradigm in their relationship did give her an opportunity to rework the basis from the ground up. ''Tell me how you feel, Shantae. Do you like seeing this dance?''

Ever truthful, Shantae felt no need to alter her response or her demeanour even while under this spell she was in, as she answered honestly. ''I...like this. I am so calm, at peace...I just think about the dance...About those hips...''

''Good, good~'' Tuki said, as she arched her back and swung her hips even further, her pendulum effect getting wider as her arms rose in the air to add balance to this performance. ''Now, as you watch my hips and this dance that relax you so much, you will start to remember every single time I've hypnotized you, brought you under my spell. Let the memories be unlocked as you recall every single feelings and details, dear~''

With the wider array of those scaly green hips, Shantae could not help but follow these instructions, not just because it was due to the fact that she did want to understand, but also because Tuki was suggesting it, with her own desires mixing themselves with the ideas presented by the snake dancer. She began to remember the first time she tried to smash Tuki's jar, calling her forth and how this same dance had brought the same warm feeling, the pleasant dizziness and that bizarre focus that brought only ecstasy and bliss. Then, she remembered a newer version when she had learned a dance to heal herself, as Tuki's eyes had emitted the most wonderful of colors for her to concentrate on, bringing the same sensation as Shantae had danced while those colors had invaded her senses, towering and overpowering over her dancing stance. Dozens of such memories began to fill her head, with dancing, colors, fuzziness, allure and even sensuality pervading the pores of her skin. As she relived every single instances where she had been hypnotized in such wonderful ways, the shadows of those moving hips never left her as it was hard for Shantae to concentrate on anything but Tuki, be it the version that danced for her right now, or the dozen of others that were all from the past, yet now coming back to the present in a glorious illusion that only heightened the experience for her. It all ended, however, with her hearing the same tune as the one she had heard when she had gone inside the jar, the last memory of Shantae being brought under that she could relive through.

''It felt peaceful and good, didn't it?'' Tuki commented, a smirk on her face as she placed a few fingers beneath the half-genie's chin, making her focus once more on her despite her dance being over for a little while. ''Now that you remember and that you know, do you like being hypnotized, dear?''

With no shame or restraint, Shantae was attaining a new level of honesty as she felt that she simply could not lie to Tuki, a vestige of past trances that made it so a few suggestions that she had implanted firmly in her mind were being reinforced. ''I like it. I like being hypnotized.'' With her own voice confirming it, there was no shame or bias, as the hints of a smile appeared on Shantae's face, the memory of Tuki's dance being more than enough to fuel this trance she was under.

''So much for your reluctance, then,'' Tuki said with a chuckle, going on to sway her hips once more. ''Now... **Charming hips** ~''

Hearing those words, Shantae felt a compulsion to try and to mimic Tuki's moves as her hips began to move on their own, obeying to an urge that was simply irresistible. Her eyes locked over the dance that had made her willpower vanish, charming her soul to an impossible degree. Despite the much wider back and forth that Tuki went with, an advantage attributed to her ungodly long tail and how masterful she was at handling its length and weight, Shantae still gave it her best shot as her own hips were as fluid as water. With her thoughts being focused only on Tuki and on obeying these suggestions and commands that came with that wonderful trance, Shantae only reacted in a manner as beautiful as possible.

''You're doing great, dear. Now, put your feet into the jar for me, would you?'' Tuki said, as she then went on to move her body around, her own tail going on to guide the prodigal half-genie toward her destination.

Following her instruction with no hesitation, Shantae placed one feet in front of the other, keeping herself in balance as the previous trigger that Tuki had activated was still in full effect. Mimicking and following Tuki's swaying, Shantae felt more and more serpentine as her movements were Tuki's, and Tuki's movement were her own. Feeling like a puppet, with Tuki moving the strings, she nonetheless felt her body move to an unknown beat and her muscles relax and clench as she stretched with every little twirls and sways that Tuki made her perform. Her muscle memory being quite active, she felt as if she had done those moves dozens of time before, yet there was also a freshness that kept things thrilling despite her thought process being narrowed down due to the hypnotic and near-sensual powers that Tuki possessed. Arriving at her destination, she then went on to place herself in the jar, as her feet touched the bottom, a fact that would have greatly surprised her if she wasn't stuck in a blissful trance. Thus, her legs were restricted, leaving only her hips, waist, butt, chest and arms to really move, adding a challenge to how she'd need to proceed if she was to obey those implanted suggestions in her subconscious.

''Very good. Now, do try to keep up and to move like I do, as we'll be practicing your twirls and your stance~'' Tuki declared, as she went on to approach her flute close to her lips, before uttering a few key words. '' **Snake lock**.''

Shantae, going further into her wondrous trance, felt her eyes lock up on Tuki, on her upper body and hips as she had no option to look elsewhere, nor did she want to at this point. With the music of the flute resuming, her own expression of bliss began to fade, replaced by pure focus as her glazed eyes did not quit Tuki's performance for a single second. With the snake-woman still dancing, Shantae felt an obligation to keep watch, as a key word began to resonate within her mind, one that held high importance as a concept: mistress.

''Now the true training begins,'' Tuki said, speaking in a playful manner, uttering her commands before continuing her flute-playing. ''As my disciple, you must follow and try to do as good as your mistress, to dance with all the energy you can muster. Try and impress me, dear~''

Without having the time to fully comprehend what mistress Tuki was saying, Shantae had to adapt instantly to the situation as Tuki began to move her body around, going away from the hypnotized half-genie's sight. Still swaying her hips and hearing that wonderfully mesmerizing tune, Shantae began to rotate by using her toes as she felt the need, the craving, to observe Tuki more and more. With the desire to impress Tuki deep within her subconscious, she began to raise her arms as she twirled her hips in circle while going forth with her effort, the new trigger replacing the older one as she no longer felt the need to mimic, but rather to surpass herself. Her light attire helping in that regard, the warmth of the environment only fueled the way her skin came in contact with the air surrounding her, as she felt at one with this place. She was a dancer, caught in a dancing trance and she had to impress her audience, even if it only consisted of mistress Tuki.

With Tuki playing that devilishly hypnotic tune, she could not help but smirk as Shantae, who seemed to understand their new relationship as mistress and pupil, made this all the more exciting. The fact that she knew and that, in her honesty, revealed that hypnosis was enjoyable to her made it all the more enjoyable. This could, perhaps with time, cement these kind of sessions into an even more amazing thing to Tuki, something precious to cherish as she'd see her pet project, her star pupil, rise to the top and become the dancer that she could very well become. She'd see to it that her talent would never go to waste, that it would reach peaks upon peaks. Caught in this enjoyment, Tuki twirled and rolled her belly, the passion in this dimension being infectious as she moved her body, with her own tail beginning to circle around the jar and Shantae, providing for an excellent base for her to move around.

With her mistress going around in circle, tantalizing her with the ever-wonderful display of her sublime hips, Shantae spun at an increasing pace, going with difficult moves while she was at it as the jar helped her keep her balance. Egyptian twirls, back arching, rough shaking of her hips and waist, belly rolls and a multitude of moves succeeded themselves one after the other. With her focus being definitive, Shantae held no thoughts about just how impressive what she was doing truly was. She had to obey her impulses, even when they were dictated by mistress Tuki. Her hair being like a serpent tail of her own, it flew gracefully, acting like a little counterweight of its own as it helped her keep track of certain moves, but in a manner that felt much less helpful than the delightful dance that Tuki performed.

The tempo of the tune increasing, the dancing of both Tuki and Shantae followed suit as sweat began to pearl on Shantae's body, the effort proving to be intense even though she held her own very well. With Tuki keeping track of that, she knew it would be a matter of minutes until Shantae would no longer be able to follow these commands, as her body would be unresponsive. Aware that Shantae had undoubtedly a day filled with adventures and an evening filled with even more dancing, these training sessions could be even more draining as Shantae could ignore the fatigue in her body, yet it was still very much present. With Shantae beginning to falter a little, Tuki then went on to slow down progressively, her own motions and her body being easier to follow for Shantae. It would be a shame for Shantae to overexert herself as Tuki then began to stop her tune, looking at Shantae with a sense of pride as she was becoming more and more an excellent dancer. ''Very well, I think we'll be done for tonight, darling,'' she said in a low voice, trying to contain her desire to continue this wonderful session. '' **Dance time over**.''

Stopping dead in her tracks for a few seconds, Shantae then resumed with a much calmer and controlled dance, as her outfit puffed away into thin air, her original one covering her like when she had penetrated inside Tuki's home dimension. Her hair returning to their natural state as well, Shantae then went back to a happier trance as the euphoria of hypnosis returned within her mindset, her focus a little lost, yet her enjoyment of her situation still going on strongly.

''Very well, now, as per our agreement, you shall remember everything about this session and shall reclaim the memories of the past sessions as well. I want you to get a good night of sleep and to recall all those moves you made, to really analyze them,'' Tuki said, approaching much closer to Shantae to make sure she'd be heard and to make sure that she was okay. ''If you're still okay with our arrangement, then you can meet me tomorrow night and enter the jar so that we can continue with your training. I'll be waiting~''

Then, with a snap of her fingers, Shantae was sucked in the jar, returning her to her lighthouse home in order to follow Tuki's command. Her fatigue catching up to her, sleep came in easily as she dozed off, dreaming of dancing amongst other things...

Waking up, Shantae could recall everything with clarity, as she groggily sat on the edge of her bed, pondering upon what had just happened last night. She had been helpless, obeying triggers that she knew were in place, going along with the commands and the demands of Tuki, who had made her dance to her whim as she had no other option to go along with it at the sight of her hips as she had unleashed her hypnotic power over her, a power that had only been heightened through multiple sessions. However, as much as thought about it in this way...She could not fault her decision nor could she truly be mad in any capacity against Tuki.

For all that she had thought a few seconds earlier, she placed her feet on the ground and stood up, beginning to twirl around with a grace that was unnatural, as the vivid memories of last night came back to her body. Using her toes and her feet to balance herself, with her hair flowing like the wind and her hips like water, she had a precise recollection of just how excellently she performed. With an awareness in retrospective that she did not possess when she was under her trance, Tuki did as she had promised, much like all those previous times. Despite her initial reluctance, her hypnotic skill were an excellent tool to make sure that she'd be able to train under specific restraint and that she would only learn more and more this noble art through one that, even though she was mischievous of nature, did want the best for her. She had not taken advantage, nor had she made her do anything that she wouldn't do, as dancing was in Shantae's soul ever since she had been born.

There was, however, a part that Shantae tried to suppress, to not think about too much, yet it proved to be a futile gesture: she was starting to really enjoy being put under a trance like this. All her worries, her doubts, thrown away as bliss and relaxation came over, overpowered her darkest emotions and gave her a focus that she didn't know she could channel. The sheer pleasure of it, she had to admit, was becoming more and more attractive as an idea, as was visiting Tuki, with her dancing being like an invitation toward this sublime experience of hypnosis. Aware that those serpentine hips would haunt her thoughts for a long time now that she knew and recalled the number of times their powers had overwhelmed her, she stopped dancing as she made way to Scuttle Town to get herself some breakfast. Before going downstairs, she eyed the jar that was still there, with Shantae now fully aware that it was her that had brought it to her home by Tuki's command. This knowledge not bothering her anymore, it was with a smile that she went to do her precious and important job.

After all, she'd be seeing this jar and the dimension that it hides later this very night.


	3. The Snake Teacher

Shantae: The Snake Teacher

This is what she lived for.

Laying down in her cabin, Risky Boots greedily observed the rich amount of loot that her tinkerbats were bringing her, looking at it pile up right in front of her. This was customary after every pillaging and looting, after every town had met the invasion of her minions so that they could steal and ransack as she pleased that they'd first show the result of their efforts before putting it down in the treasure room. Piles of gold, gems, jewels, ancient artifacts and priceless objects were all being put indiscriminately there for her to check up, as her smile peaked at just how much was now hers. Being a pirate, she'd never spend any of it, yet to see all those shiny items being hers was ecstatic in its own right. With more and more being added to the piles, she figured that her latest raid had been plenty successful for them to just continue for this long as there probably wasn't much of anything left in the unknown little place they had decided to invade. Besides Scuttle Town, pretty much any cities of town were the same for her as there wasn't much of any challenge to be had there. Without her nemesis, Shantae, Risky Boots could very well make a fortune and continue unabashedly in her pirates way. However, revenge was also something that she was seeking, thus why she just couldn't let go of this particular town. She'd just need yet another approach to beat the half-genie pest for good.

Her revery, though, was broken by the sound of plenty of loot falling to the ground due to a large and apparently heavy object being placed upon a pile. Her smile turning into a look of annoyance at the sight of what had caused such a ruckus, Risky could see that it was due to one of her simpleton tinkerbats that had placed a large pot atop a huge stash of gold coins. The pot, purple of color with blue waving lines on its near-spherical shape, seemed to be out-of-place with the rest of the riches that had been claimed as it solicited a violent reaction from the pirate captain herself as she rose from her seat. "You bunch of imbeciles. People put their gems inside these!" she began to explain, walking toward the object with a purpose as she then took out her cutlass to demonstrate the proper manner to deal with such an object, preparing to strike. "You smash them up and pick up what's inside, just like this!"

Her cutlass connecting to the pot, it simply seemed to reverberate the solid hit instead of being broken or otherwise damaged. Still as pristine and intact as ever, Risky began to wonder if perhaps the pot was magical in its nature, until her question was immediately answered by the sound of hisses and of some light music. Curious about this, Risky nonetheless did not feel safe in any way as she picked up her pistol, aiming it at whatever would come out of this strange pot. The hissing got progressively clearer as a strange snake-woman erupted from the object, one that seemed to have human features despite her serpentine nature as she had feminine curves and shapes, red hair arranged in pigtails, yet she also possessed green scales, a beige underbelly and a tail that connected to the pot in itself, its length still being a mystery for the time being. The intruder, lightly smiling, looked at the place she found herself in as she broke the silence that had been awkwardly placed, with Risky and some tinkerbats looking at her. "My my, it seems like I've landed into a rich person's stash. Lucky me~"

"Who are you?" Risky asked, pointing her pistol at this strange character, her tone certainly not indicative of peaceful intents or any friendliness. "And what are you doing on my ship?"

Finally realizing that she wasn't alone, the snake-woman then turned her gaze upon Risky and the tinkerbats, her little smile turning into an almost-playful smirk as she clasped her hands together and bowed lightly in a polite manner. "How silly of me to arrive and not introduce myself. My name is Tuki and I am a merchant and instructor, at your service~" she explained in a gentle manner, her eyes settled on Risky. "Now, pardon my initiative here, but are you perhaps Risky Boots, the Queen of the Seven Seas?"

Her pistol still aimed toward this Tuki, Risky knew that any pleasantness could be a trick, a facade before this woman would strike her down. It was a trick that she had used often to get what she wanted back in the days, which meant that there was no way that this creature would get the drop on her by using this simple tactic. Readjusting her sight as her green scales reflected the gold as if it was drinking the shiny nature of the loot around her, Risky tried not to be blinded by the strange luminescence of the situation as she answered. "You're in her ship and in front of her," she explained, never letting her guard down as her gaze was locked on this snake lady. "If you know who I am, then you know that I'm not one to be messed with."

"Of course, of course," Tuki replied, never dropping her amiable mannerism as her serpentine ways got a little more expressive, her tail undulating slightly on its own, as if she couldn't stay in place, perfectly still, for too long. "A student and friend of mine told me a lot about you, about your exploits and your legend..."

"Did they now?" Risky asked once more, not exactly liking the lack of clear details in this explanation as she prompted for her tinkerbats to surround Tuki, doing so without any subtlety. "And what exactly did they say about me?"

"That you're a tough one, someone who steal, pillage, invade and do as she please," Tuki began to explain, her wide hips beginning to slightly bump the air as if she was beginning to dance, her own stance seemingly unnafected by this due to her body structure and her flexibility. "That you've burned Scuttle Town, and other places, countless times and that you can be a particular menace most of the time."

"Most of the time? Ah!" Risky said, chuckling at the idiocy of that statement as she felt confident about the situation all of a sudden. If this Tuki was underestimating her, then she'd be in a lot of trouble. "I'm a menace at all times, snake. I'm the scourge of the Seven Seas, I do what I want when I want and no one can truly stop me~"

"I think we'll have to differ in our opinion, then, as I know of someone who did stop you multiple times," Tuki said with a light smirk on her face, her dance now being much more expressive as her hips swayed in a fluid manner while her scales sparkled, reflecting the gold and gems off of her body. "So yes, most of the time you are a menace, I believe."

"Well, I'm a menace to you now. Tinkerbats, cease this intruder!" she commanded, pointing at Tuki with her cutlass to make it a grand gesture. Her orders, though, were entirely ignored as her minions simply stared at the snake-woman, locked into place as if they did not hear a word she had just said. "What are you doing, you imbeciles! Cease her!"

"They can't hear you, dear. They've been mesmerized by my spell~" Tuki proclaimed, her hips motions getting much more pronounced as she rose her arms slowly above her, with the rest of her body unmoving to show her total control. Her hips showcasing a perfect pendulum-like motion, moving from right to left, a faint glow began to emanate from them, mixing with the reflection of gold and light from the room on her scales. "As a matter of fact, so are you~"

Scoffing at this statement, Risky tried to simply move her gaze elsewhere to prove Tuki wrong...yet it soon became clear to her that she couldn't as her neck wouldn't budge, nor would her eyes. It seemed indeed that there was some unspoken source of magic that radiated from this snake-woman as Risky began to wander her sight on Tuki, without being able to set it anywhere else. "What did you do?" she asked, angered as she tried to bring out the will to use her hand and shoot this meddlesome creature that dared to trick her.

"I've hypnotized them, of course. My dance can have that kind of effect on people, I've been told~" Tuki said with a playful smirk and a teasing tone, her confidence mixing with a certain arrogance as she went a little faster with her approach, the fluidity of her movements seeming impossible, resulting in them being irresistible to any eyes as her power seemed to grow. "They have such simple minds, so it was quite easy. You, on the other hand, seem to have some difficulty being pulled under my power. I can see that you're getting weaker, though, that you're having some difficulty looking elsewhere or with any movements. Your pistol and cutlass are getting heavy, aren't they?"

Risky was beginning to understand what was happening, as her arm began to shiver due to the weight of her pistol while her cutlass simply dropped to the ground, her hold being too weak to let her carry it. She was being hypnotized just like her minions and even though she was aware of this, the power of Tuki's suggestions still seemed to have a hold on her mind. Whether it was due to the snake's confidence, her power or a mixture of both, her own perceptions were getting twisted as the dance in front of her only gained in magnificence and in beauty. Not unlike those of Shantae, which she was privy to whenever they fought, there was something utterly charming about that performance, yet this one was more powerful, secretly more graceful and downright captivating in ways that Risky couldn't even begin to comprehend as she couldn't figure out how to counter it. She had fought many people, conquered the Pirate Master and looted countless places, yet this dance seemed to vanquish her resistance in a manner that felt baffling...yet irresistible all the same.

"I take it from your silence that you're falling into a trance, then?" Tuki said with a light chuckle, amused by this notion as her dance seemed to go slightly faster once more. Not breaking a sweat even with the augmented efforts, she simply brought her hand to the same level as her torso as she used her momentum there to simply add more sway to her motions, adding to the power of this performance. "The way my hips move and how the gold reflect on my scales makes me seem all-powerful and sublime, doesn't it? It makes it so easy to just follow them and to think of nothing else~"

Risky eyes, glued to Tuki's hips, couldn't really gaze elsewhere at this point as the thought of doing so was simply non-existent. With spirals appearing to replace her irises, she was indeed getting stuck into a pleasant trance as she couldn't feel much of anything besides mindless bliss anymore. Unaware that the tinkerbats had long since then showcased spirals in their eyes too and that her pistol was on the ground, leaving her hand, all she could do was stare and listen as she was becoming an entranced puppet that would be swayed and enchanted by the dancing snake in front of her.

"It feels so nice to simply let go, yes? To just bask in my presence and to watch in silence is a delight, isn't it?" Tuki asked, her tone being much more suggestive and pleasant as she knew full well what the answers to those questions would be. "Now, allow me to bring you to paradise, where nothing will ever hurt or disturb you in any way~"

She knew not of what Tuki was referring to, But Risky did want what was suggested to her. No pain, no anguish, just pure bliss. As Tuki continued her dance, her tail went on to get much, much longer as she rose in the air, the pot acting as a counter-weight and an anchor to her utterly long body as the tail encompassed the whole room now. Never missing a beat, the snake lady was more than an expert at this point, showing her mastery of sweet lulling motions as she then went on to coil around Risky, sealing her body as her scales came in contact with the skin left uncovered by clothes. There was a slight sensation of cold, followed by comfortable warmth as Risky was picked up and then moved toward the pot. As she was being carried, a few questions began to pop in her mind as she wondered just where she would be taken, how long was Tuki's tail and why was she being so docile all of a sudden? This wasn't like her. She was a fighter, a strong soul that would get what she want and wouldn't be swayed by the common folks and their pitiable desires. Her own trance getting somewhat weaker due to her resistance picking up, she remembered who she was and snapped out of it, resulting in her thrashing around in those coils even though she felt somewhat groggy and weak due to Tuki's suggestions slowly fading away from her mindset.

"As expected, it couldn't be too easy," Tuki said, a little disappointed yet not stopping her initiative even for a second. "However, you're much too dangerous to be left in this world and so I will take care of your...permanently."

Shocked at the prospect of what could be her demise, it was simply too late for Risky to do much of anything as the pot seemed to grow larger in a matter of seconds, its entrance accomodating the coils that she found herself captured into as she was gobbled up inside it. Despite her best efforts, she was then transported away to somewhere else, an unknown destination as a tunnel of pitch black was the only thing she could see, with a light at the end of it. Was this the afterlife? Had she been crushed by her serpentine assaillants? Had she been eaten? Was this truly the miserable end for the Queen of the Seven Seas? Left greatly disappointed, angry and mystified, it was impossible to Risky to accept this as she thrashed around again, her strength coming back as she finally managed to escape Tuki's coils...only to land in a bizarre landscape that seemed to be filled with utter nothingness. A blank slate reaching to the horizon and even further, the only thing that seemed to exist there was Tuki's long tail stretching to the horizon, the pot and herself. With no sound and nothing being there for her to interact with, Risky couldn't comprehend what had just happened as the sound of Tuki's voice snapped her out of it.

"Welcome to my humble home dimension, Risky," she said, teasing her with a tone that suggested a certain tint of mischief and malevolence. "I hope you enjoy it, because you'll never get out of there~"

"Oh yes I am!" Risky snapped back, taking another pistol hidden alongside her belt as she fired upon Tuki, ready to make her pay for this kidnapping and her malicious intents toward her. With a precise shot, Risky aimed toward her head so as to make this serpentine kidnapper pay for this transgression, yet the shot only met the thick side of her tail as it rose to protect Tuki. With her tail being unharmed, it only caused for Risky to step back in shock, as the attack was supposed to do some form of damage, yet it hadn't. "What the-"

"We're in my place of power, Risky..." Tuki began saying, her tail once more coiling around Risky as it halted her movements with a tight grasp and some quick gestures. Then, with utterly direct and gestures that seemed ungodly controlled, her scales went on to brush against her skin, effectively removing Risky's garment in a swift fashion. Not causing her any harm, her tail went on to reduce itself to a much more manageable size so as to use the tip of it to properly have a more dexterous approach to her activity. Risky's bandana, her top, her pants, her weapons, her belt, her hat and any and all accessories were deftly removed, tossed aside so as to make it so Risky would not have any other nasty surprises in store for Tuki. "Here, I am like a goddess. You could harm me outside and perhaps even kill me, but here I am beyond invulnerable. So tell me...how does it feel to be powerless, Risky? To face a foe that you simply cannot beat?"

"That remains to be seen," Risky replied, ever-defiant in the face of someone so proud of herself. Many in the past had shown her disrespect and paid the price for it. This snake-woman would be no different, she thought, as she struggled, her actions availing to no result as it only made it so Tuki's coils went on to get tighter. "I'll find a way to escape and to beat you, mark my words!"

"Such a pity..." Tuki said, not losing her assurance despite the retorts of Risky. "With your body and your splendid hair, you'd make for a good dancer. Too bad you're just a nasty pirate~"

Hearing this, Risky couldn't help but grit her teeth together, vowing vengeance toward this so-called "merchant" as Tuki swayed her hips to make an emphasis on the dancer part. With her gaze wandering on those hips, Risky knew well how to counter this as she looked elsewhere after a few seconds, not wishing to be hypnotized again by this perfid creature. With Tuki elongating her tail to its natural size and length, Risky's equipment and clothes went on to finally get pushed aside, far away from her as she couldn't even see it anymore. Promising herself that she'd get it back, she felt that she simply had to have the last word, if only for her own satisfaction. "If you plan to kill me, just go ahead. Otherwise, I will end you one way or another..."

"Nope. I know someone who would be very cross with me if I actually went on to kill you," Tuki retorted, loosening her coils until Risky was free, with Tuki feeling confident enough that she was no longer a threat. "My student, a certain half-genie that you know very well, would certainly be very unhappy if I were to destroy you. She is naive, too sweet and caring, yet I made a promise to her that I wouldn't just snap your neck or gobble you up, even though it would be so easy to do so...So feel safe in the prospect that you'll live for a long time...In here~"

With her last words being denied, Risky had no time to properly reply or come up with a retort as Tuki returned to the pot, sliding inside with uncanny speed as Risky was left all alone in this wasteland. With the pot being the only thing left and her equipment nowhere around, she was without much of any direct or obvious plans to get out of there, save for one. If she had entered through the pot, then it was safe to assume that it would be the exit as well, as she went toward the pot and observed inside, to see if there was indeed a way out. Witnessing a tunnel of darkness with a light at the end, Risky took it upon herself to face any danger and hopped inside, resulting in her falling down at vertiginous speed. With darkness surrounding her for a few seconds, she was then ejected from the other side like a cannonball as she couldn't make up where she had landed. Crashing to the ground rather quickly, she was dazed, yet somewhat unharmed as she looked around to try and see just where she had landed, only to see that she was in the same spot...or so she believed. Perhaps she was indeed elsewhere in this dimension, with her having no frame of reference to compare her previous spot to. With this experiment failing, perhaps she'd just need to try again as much as was needed, if only to land elsewhere someday. Thus, she sighed and jumped down again.

This attempt of her, repeated multiple times, bore no fruit as the only things she got out of it was a sore body and frustration. It was always the same result, with no clear manner to discern whether she was elsewhere or not. With her anger reaching a particular point, she then went on to turn around as she heard the sound of something being ejected by the pot as melons and a jug of water came out of it, about to crash to the ground before they were caught by Tuki in mid-air, showing how precise she could be. "Here's your meal, Queen of the Seven Seas," Tuki said with a certain mocking tone as if the title itself seemed ridiculous.

So she wasn't just trapping her here to make sure she'd starve to death, Risky thought as her pride made it so she couldn't simply touch that offering. She did not need any amount of pity from that woman, nor from anyone, as she'd sooner die than play into whichever game that Tuki was playing. "So you'll make sure that I'll live long enough to turn insane, then, out of loneliness and desperation," Risky said out of spite, crossing her arms to cover her nudity and to preserve whatever dignity she had left. "How noble of you..."

"Of course not. As I said, I'm not going to kill you," Tuki reiterated, placing two melons on the ground and the jug besides them. "As a matter of fact, I'm going to make sure you get the life you've probably always wanted: I'm going to teach you how to dance."

Dumbfounded by the idiocy that came out of that scaly mouth, Risky laughed mockingly at the mere notion that she'd just want to be a simple dancer, strutting her stuff for people to ogle at. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't know what kind of insanity Shantae might have stuffed into your head or why you truly believe that's what I want, but you're misguided," Risky declared, looking at Tuki in defiance. "The only right life for me would be as the undisputed and powerful ruler of all the seas, of course. Nothing else would merit my attention."

"Perhaps that's what you believe, but I think otherwise," Tuki said, her tone getting a lot more understanding as she slithered close to Risky while still respecting her personal space. "You see, I know for a fact that you always let Shantae use her transformation dances whenever you fight her, even though it would be advantageous to just go on and attack her while she does so. She'd be vulnerable and you'd have won a thousand times over before she'd even finish her performance, yet why is it that you let her transform without any interruption?"

"Oh spare me your theories, you stupid snake!" Risky loudly replied, insulted by the notion that Tuki was suggesting. "I know how some people think I have a little thing for her, but that's an act, something to destabilize the half-genie brat in order for me to gain advantage in battle."

"I know all about misdirections myself, but I beg to differ. When I was dancing much earlier, you knew very well that I could use that dance to perhaps harm you, yet you didn't stop me either. Again, why is that?" Tuki asked, a certain confidence and playfulness making her remarks seem almost amusing. "I think that it's because you're jealous and that you'd like to move just like me or that half-genie guardian. You'd actually love to dance, but it doesn't fit with your narrative..."

"Of course, I'd just love to go ahead and entertain buffoons and idiots by shaking my body left and right. It's my life's goal," Risky said mockingly, defying Tuki with a glare as she couldn't believe the unbelievable ideas that went out of that creature's mouth. "Don't try to push your notions on me. It simply won't work."

Obviously unconvinced, Tuki simply looked at Risky, as if analyzing her to better prepare her arguments, until she broke the silence by going on with a calmer tone. "Shantae told me of your past, of how the Pirate Master, a being that I hate with a passion, went on to make you his first mate, yet you went on to valiantly fight against him when he returned. She believes that there is some good in you despite your constant evil acts," she explained, trying herself to see just where this possible goodness could be hidden within Risky Boots. "Perhaps, if you weren't so focused on riches and power, you'd have more success and lead a happier life?"

Not even bothering to answer that query, Risky stood there in silence, her arms crossed as she stared at Tuki in disapproval. With no words being exchanged for a little while and no motions coming from her, Tuki eventually saw that Risky was not willing to converse any longer as she left a small package there for her, as well as the food and water before returning inside the pot, away from her view. With a few moments passing by, Risky stayed put to make sure she'd still show a strong and impassible resilience before she then lunged toward the melons, eating them without any regard for grace and hygiene. Gulping it all down and washing it with a large drink of water, she then opened the package that Tuki had left for her, wondering just what it could be. Seeing that it was some clothes to cover her nudity, Risky almost began to wear it if only to keep some semblance of dignity, until she actually saw what it was: a dancer's costume. Bedlah pants, a top and a bolero vest, all composed of red and white much like one of her older outfits back in the days, along with a few trinkets of obsidian and silver to match the themes of the outfits and the color of her skin. Unhappy about this particularly unsubtle gift, Risky then sighed as she went on to wear it, already tired of her nakedness. Besides, she could always use those garments to create some rope to strangle the snake, should she find an opportunity to do so. She had been right the first time to remove her clothes, yet she wasn't about to make the mistake of facing an all-powerful enemy on her own turf.

Now sated and clothed, Risky sat down and began thinking of ways to escape, to see if there was a flaw in this world or in this snake's thinking. While the obvious was there: some kind of naive optimism and a tendency for manipulation, she knew not how to best take advantage of this. She was textbook-level in terms of misdirection and emotional manipulation: first, she was strong and all-mighty, but then when that was settled, she'd create a false sense of hope and generosity so that she might fool Risky into doing her bidding. She already possessed hypnotic talents and she had gone from nice, to angry, to menacing, then to nice again, making this Tuki a weird one. Perhaps playing into her hand at first would prove to be the way as she'd try to convince her that she had changed and that she'd go on to make her life about whatever the creature had in mind...only to use her freedom for vengeance. Liking this plan and unable to think of a better one, Risky then went on to approach the pot, then knocked on it gently. "Tuki? We have to talk."

Without much of any wait, Tuki then popped up in a rapid fashion, surprising Risky due to the extremely perceptive and responsive nature of the snake-woman. "What is it?" Tuki asked, apparently a little annoyed until her frown turned into a little smug smirk while she looked at Risky. "Not so proud that you can't eat the food I brought and wear the sublime outfit I brought just for you, are you?"

Already irritated by that attitude of hers, Risky nevertheless held it in as she crossed her arms and looked at her, keeping up her rough attitude so as to not oversell her change of heart, to make it gradual. This would be a long game and she knew it. "So you think I could become a dancer, then? I have the body for it?"

"I have a natural eye for talent and while I don't believe you have any right now...I'd be willing to work to make it appear," Tuki said with a certain playful honesty, her long tail slithering close to Risky as it surrounded her. Moving along with it, Tuki observed Risky from all angles, pondering upon a great many things as she did so. "You have the muscles and the look, which is good. You wear the outfit really well, which is a bonus...However I do believe we have a lot of work ahead of us...Unless you're trying to trick me so that you may escape someday."

"Perhaps, or perhaps not. You're the only person I can interact with in any case. Might as well get some company and some exercise or else I'll just die of boredom in here," Risky said, trying to bluff her way into a nonchalant attitude. "Besides, if that half-genie can do it, so can I."

Apparently buying into it, Tuki smirked at the mention of Shantae as she then got closer to Risky, chuckling. "Spoken like a true amateur. Shantae is a professional, you know. It's much, much harder than you might think, you know," she said, greatly amused by Risky's attitude as she went on to cross her arms, lifting herself up to a higher position. "I appreciate a challenge on occasions and I think you'll be a truly decent one. Now, let's see your level and let me see how you'd go on to do some hip bumps~"

Getting to the hard part of that plan of hers, Risky then went on to try to push her hips from one side to the other, doing so continuously as she looked at Tuki, hoping that it would be enough. She was, however, stopped after less than a minute of doing so as Tuki approached and pushed against her back with her tail. "Readjust your position. You're not standing tall enough, nor straight. You've also got to use your knees to properly push your hips to their fullest."

"This makes no sense," Risky retorted, already immensely disliking this lesson as she got things wrong in half-a-minute. "How does my knees even connect to the concept of belly-dancing?"

"You've gotta bend one of your knee, stretch out your thigh a little before pushing it back in one full swing to truly give some push to your hip and waist so that you truly bump the air with it," Tuki explained, using her tail to then bend one of Risky's knee ever-so-slightly to make her point, before then doing a hip bump of her own. "I have a much wider and stronger control over my lower muscles, so it's easier for me to do, but you've gotta do it like I just said, Risky."

Trying to mimic what Tuki did and as she explained, Risky then went on to lower her own knee, then roughly brought it back up as she pushed her hip in the air, causing her to feel some tension on her butt, a surprising side-effect of that motion. Doing so with the other one, her moves felt rough and violent, yet it did seem to do the trick as her hips did seem to have more power put into them.

"That's much better. Your stance is still somewhat faulty and you inevitably move your upper body while you push your hips, but those are things that can be fixed with more lessons," Tuki said, taking a much gentler approach as she got progressively closer, before then placing her hands on Risky's hips. "Now, we'll try to go ahead and isolate them. You just have to move those and nothing else. I'll help you for your first time~"

A little uncomfortable about her proximity, she nonetheless had a role to play and tried to move along with it as Risky made no qualms with Tuki's position. Anytime she moved her torso or any parts of her higher body alongside those bumps, Tuki's guiding hand went on to correct it, keeping it in place while Risky's hips went on to move with a purpose. "You just gotta move your hips and nothing else. Command your body to do this and nothing else."

"That's easy for you to say. You have a tail and I have legs. It's really not the same," Risky retorted, already mildly annoyed as Tuki's approach toward her mistakes made it seem like everything she did felt wrong. Her pride refusing to take such an affront, she stopped her motions as she looked at her would-be teacher defiantly. "Are you sure you can properly make me learn this, that you're up to the task?"

"Everyone learns at their own pace...But then again some are feisty and impatient," Tuki said, letting go of Risky as she brought the mass of her tail closer to her position. "I suppose I could make you learn faster, if you think you're up for it~"

"I can do anything. I'm the Queen of the Seven Seas," Risky replied to that, not one to let this challenge go unanswered as she crossed her arms, a motion that seemed to be repeated often in the last few hours. "Give me your best shot!"

"Very well. I'll give you the same kind of training that I give to Shantae. Prepare yourself~" Tuki said with a smug smile on her face, rising her arms in the air as she then went on to swish her hips in a fashion that seemed impossibly fast. With her tail waving and undulating, her own hips and waist rolled like the storming sea as her hips bumped further and further, becoming like lifeless entities with their own will due to the motions that Tuki made, proving that her serpentine agility gave her a boost to her talents that could simply not be mimicked in any case. With power coursing through her scales, she simply went on to overwhelm Risky's mind right there and then with an intense hypnotic assault. "Look upon my dance and focus on it. Let your gaze fixate on my hips and lose yourself in my performance~"

For a few seconds, Risky felt incredibly foolish to have dropped her guard so thoroughly as she looked at the dancing snake. She knew full well that she possessed hypnotic talents and that she could channel those through her dance, yet she had forgotten and thus she was now mesmerized by what she was seeing. At first, she chastised herself, cursing her inaptitude at defending her mind and body, yet all the guilt and the rage began to fade away in favor of a certain calm and almost appreciative contemplation of what she was watching. Her senses getting attuned to Tuki's hips, their speed was still vertiginous, yet she could somewhat follow what she was doing. Every ripples, every undulations and every twists and rolls seemed to flow like water atop those scales and her underbelly, creating an insanely beautiful display of wondrous talent, one that Risky began to appreciate more and more as her eyes turned into spirals once more, her trance returning anew to the forefront of her mind. She was aware of what was happening, of why she simply had to tear her gaze away, yet those thoughts seemed to be pushed back in favor of tranquility that pervaded her body as it became a little more limp, a little more relaxed.

"Just relax and observe, my student," Tuki said, continuing her small routine as her whole body seemed to move in various ways, her chest doing figure eight in a vertical manner, her belly rolling, her hips swishing at unnatural speed and her arms waving, showing a level of control that was absurd, yet not chaotic in any perceivable way. "If you continue taking my lessons, you'll be able to do that too, even with your much more rigid body. Would you like that? Would you enjoy to learn how to do this?"

Even though Risky was being hypnotized, being brought under a trance where her anger and her fears were dissuaded, a blockade within her thoughts made it impossible for her to answer those two questions. She couldn't enjoy it. She knew of weapons, of piratery, thievery and many other useful and strong notions. Dancing was certainly not something that she'd associate with strength as her reluctance went on to halt the trance, her sheer force of will seemingly coming back so as to preserve a touch of her individuality, even though the spirals in her eyes suggested that she was fully under Tuki's control.

"You don't have to answer, of course," Tuki said, recognizing when her hypnotic techniques would not make her budge on this subject as she then slithered behind her, placing her hands on Risky's hips once more to guide her through. "Now, let's try that again. I want you to be relaxed as I guide your hips and let you understand that your moves can and should be rough at times...yet they can also be soft and smooth as well~"

There was a certain discomfort first when Risky felt Tuki's cold hands touch her uncovered hips, yet the manner in which she softly spoke and the fact that she hummed a little tune to help set up a beat seemed to calm her down as Risky felt humiliated, yet also a little excited at the prospect of this little help. As she heard the beat, Tuki gently pushed Risky's hip to one side, then to the other to create a certain balance which made Risky's body relax even further.

"Now, as you get to the right side, I want you to slightly bend your left knee. Can you do that for me?" Tuki asked, pushing Risky's hips as she explained the lesson carefully. "Then, when we get on the left side, you'll push your left knee back and bend your right knee and you'll continue. Do you understand?"

She couldn't exactly picture what this was all for, but the fact that she knew she was hypnotized made any questions rather moot as she'd have to obey anyway. Going for the effect that Tuki explained, she struggled at first, bending the right knee when she got to the right and bending the left when she got on the same side, making her torso bend in a manner that felt silly, disgraceful. Her relaxed stance then got much more rigid, her spirals getting slower as unhapinness came back in her thoughts.

"It's quite alright to make mistakes. Don't worry about it," Tuki said, trying to calm her down as she slowed down the rhythm of those hip sways. "Nobody gets it right the first time, you have to give yourself time and to learn to forgive yourself for what is certainly a small mistake. Try again."

Hearing that had a much more troubling effect on Risky than she ever expected, as something within her stirred, making her confused as she couldn't keep up for a few seconds, until the pace got considerably slower. Then, she tried to do it right, bending her left knee when she got to the right, then snapping it back into place when she moved to the left and so forth, creating something that seemed rough, yet elegant all the same. It wasn't even close to being as smooth as what Tuki did a few minutes ago, yet it was a start as she continued doing so for a little while.

"I knew you could do it," Tuki said in encouragement, continuing to hum that little song to help Risky with her beat and her sense of rhythm. "In fact, I'm sure you haven't noticed yet that I've removed my hands, that you've been doing this on your own for about a minute now~"

It was true. So caught up in those motions and her concentration, Risky hadn't even felt Tuki's hands get away from her hips. She was swaying her hips and bumping the air on her own, which gave her a small moment of glee as a small smile rose upon her face, one of satisfaction as the humiliation made way for something better.

"You're doing great, my student~" Tuki said, complimenting her as she returned to her original position to observe Risky's movements. "It's still a little rough, but I can see that you understood the principles behind it all. With some more practice, you'll be as fluid as water, my dear~"

Thus, she continued with that simple and basic routine, enjoying it as nothing else in the world mattered for now. Her plan, her trickery and her pride were tossed aside, with those motions of her taking precedence over it all. For a moment, she could forget and simply be like this, the proof of her prowess being there for her to appreciate. Then, the sound of snapping fingers woke her up, returning the weight of the world upon her shoulders, her thoughts rushing back to her and the truth of her situation being present once more.

"Now, you'll remember what just happened and your body will know how to perform that move. It's still a little crude, but I do believe that you'll get the hang of it," Tuki declared before getting back to the pot, as if something was on her mind. "I have to get to my other student, but I'll be back. Until then, practice what I've shown you and we'll take it from there."

Before Risky could protest, insult or otherwise express any form of emotion, Tuki was already gone, gobbled up by the pot. Struck silent for a few moments, she knew not how to process all of this. The plan was to fool the snake into getting lessons, to earn her trust, to get out of here and enact her revenge. Nothing had been said about actually enjoying those lessons. It was probably due to the hypnosis, she thought, since it warped and twisted her mind to make it so she'd find contentment in such simple moves. She had been so relaxed, the words of Tuki being so reassuring, yet this had to be a lie. In her world, mistakes could be deadly, a lack of preparation held consequences and you had to make sure you got everything perfectly, or else be condemned as weak. The Pirate Master had declared it so and, even though she hated that being with all of her might, this was one lesson that she took to heart. And yet...to hear otherwise felt good. It felt right. Uncertain about how to feel and if her emotions were now the playground of a particular teacher, Risky sat down, looking at the blank horizon and the pot as she waited. It was pretty much all she could do, really.

The first thing that struck her was the silence. Besides the few sounds that she could make on her own, there wasn't anything that seemed to disturb the quiet that resided there. She was used to holding close to no potent conversation, living with the silent tinkerbats on her ship, yet the sound of waves, the creak of wood and the steps of her crew on the floor made it seem lively, at the very least. Here, though, the blank nothingness would get to her as assuredly as crushing loneliness. Not understanding the point and the inhumanity of leaving her stranded there, Risky couldn't even begin to fathom Tuki's approach. She menaced her, kidnapped her, then spoke to her about dancing, about Shantae, about her actions and then treated her like a person, making her actions seems to have either no sense, or a devious plan backing them up. Was she expecting a certain Stockholm syndrome to develop? Was she planning to crush her spirit and to mold her in any shapes she so desired? To reform her evil ways into goody-goody boringness? It seemed possible to Risky, yet she also couldn't deny something that she had felt in so long: peace. In her trance, whilst dancing, she felt calm. She had many enemies, many threats to contend with, yet here there was none, bar Tuki, who she wasn't even sure any longer if she was an enemy or something else. With all those thoughts nagging at her and with no way to really get any answers or to calm herself down, she sighed and then did the only thing that could potentially work.

She danced.

Without Tuki to guide her or to say where she was right or wrong, she simply rose and then tried to move her hips, using her knees to do so. It was so simple and she knew it wouldn't really make any of her troubles go away, but it helped her think. It cleared her mind, brought a certain focus and it was better to do this than to do nothing but wait. The way her hips moved without much of any elegance, yet with a certain power to them felt good to her. It was enough to make it so she wouldn't go insane or crazy, that she wouldn't be defeated in any way by this strange place and its mysterious owner. Then, she experimented as she remembered the way Shantae danced, how she used her torso and her arms, trying to make sense of it all. The only results she got from this, though, was encumberance and a lack of fluidity as she made a mess out of her routine, her body seemingly betraying her as she lost the tempo of her performance. It seemed to be much harder than it looked, which gave her a new form of respect for her arch-nemesis, though she'd never openly vocalize those thoughts. Then, to help her, she hummed the same song that Tuki created for her to concentrate as she resumed anew, trying to return to the simplicity of what she had learned. Doing so for a long while, her thoughts gathered as she focused, then fatigue finally reached her as she went to sleep, her thoughts of vengeance and retribution mixing up with those of dancing.

She was eventually woken up by the sound of hisses, which caused her to get up with surprising speed, a reflex from the time of her training by the Pirate Master. It was always a good idea to never drop your guard, even when asleep, as it could take but a few seconds for an enemy to slit your throat in the dark of the night. The number of times that this old and evil fossil had tried to kill her had instilled quick reactions as she rolled out of the way and lunged at the enemy presence...until she was stopped by bumping into a thick tail, a reminder of her situation and who had put her there. A little groggy due to the awkward rest that she tried to get, her senses came back quickly as she saw that Tuki had came back with more food, this time with a better spread than two mere melons and some water. Instead, a kebab, some rice and even some wine were there to greet her, the scent of roasted meat being incredibly enticing to her nostrils, making her salivate due to her hunger for something more solid.

"This might make for a more decent meal than a bunch of fruits, yes?" Tuki said jokingly, her mood being rather pleasant as she simply pushed away the basket containing what was needed to eat all of this, including ustensils. "You need to keep your strength up if you want to continue those lessons, after all."

If she was to gain Tuki's trust, she needed to play nice. That much she knew. Her usual antics here would be no good as the first thing she noticed in the basket was a knife to cut up her meat. Her first natural thought was that she could perhaps use it to attack her, to properly defend herself should the time come, yet she knew it would be useless. In here, Tuki was a goddess, in absolute control of the situation whereas she wasn't even a threat to this snake with an ungodly long tail. As such, she tried to at the very least show some good will as she picked up the food and ate in near-silence, gulping it down without making any fuss about manners.

"I can see that you've eaten the melons as well. Smart choice," Tuki said, trying to strike up a conversation as she went on to pile up her tail to use as a makeshift-seat for her to use. "Basic survival. Always get the food and rest you need, even in tough situations, to keep your strength up. You're probably planning for me to drop my guard and to escape eventually, aren't you?"

Risky stopped eating for a few seconds, rising her eyes to meet Tuki's as she resumed eating, finishing the plate before replying. "Of course. That's what everyone would do in such a situation," Risky replied honestly, not seeing the point in trying to outright lie to Tuki. "Besides, there's no point in hiding the truth from you. You could just hypnotize me to reveal all that I have planned and you'd know it eventually. Hell, you could probably turn me into a goody two-shoes with that power of yours. I'm surprised you haven't tried it yet."

A faint giggle came out of Tuki's mouth as she looked at Risky, seemingly amused by that observation as she looked at her with a faint smile. "It really doesn't work that way," she began to explain, taking her time as she pushed away the basket with her tail, collecting the remains of the melons as well. "Hypnosis, even when it's done by magic, isn't something that gives total control over someone instantly. It does so partially and with the help of suggestions, with the cooperation of the one being hypnotized..."

"Bullshit," Risky retorted, crossing her arms as she rose up, defiant in her gesture and her tone. "You think I wanted to be kidnapped, to be used as some kind of toy for a huge snake-woman? That I want to be your pet project and to be turned into a good little girl? Get real!"

"Of course not, thus why you broke free of the trance when you got into the pot, when you were afraid about what was going to happen. Your true will returned fully even when under the influence of my powerful hypnosis," Tuki further explained, not minding the rude and direct approach of Risky's reponse. "But...Don't you find it strange that, even with your strong will, you did not seem to fight back very well when looking at me dance, or when I tried to teach you how to do the same? That you were calm and peaceful when you listened on to my lesson?"

She could see where she was going with this already. That she, Risky Boots, the Queen of the Seven Seas, actually wanted to be a dancer, was preposterous. There was simply no way that this could be true. She was a pirate to the core, down to her very blood. There was no greater purpose and utility in swaying your hips around, be it on a ship or on a stage. Disliking this theory and the fact that she was being analyzed in this manner, Risky just wanted this to be over with as she looked elsewhere for a moment, not wishing to look at this snake anymore. "Let's just get on with it. Have your fun and then leave me here. I'll get used to it."

"Trying to guilt-trip me, are we?" Tuki said with a chuckle, slithering close as she then placed a finger beneath Risky's chin, making her look straight in her own eyes. "I'm too sly to be swayed that way, pirate...But very well. Let's see the progress you've made~"

"What progress, we only had one less-" Risky started to say, until she got exactly what Tuki was seeing. Here, she knew what was going on. This was her domain and nothing happening inside it would be hidden to her. As such, she knew that she had practiced yesterday, out of boredom. Stopping herself before she'd reveal something she'd rather not speak about, Risky then sighed as she just went on to bump the air with her hips, this time using her knees to properly add accents to her moves.

"That's quite better, yes. I can see you've practiced~" Tuki said with a pleasant tone, letting Risky have some personal space as she circled around to check up for any small errors. "Your form is still a little rough, but that's absolutely normal for a beginner. For now, I think you've understood the basic of this particular move."

There was a certain pride that swole up in Risky's mind as she knew that she could overcome this particular challenge. While she was annoyed at the faint praise and the criticism targeted at her, it made feel somewhat good to know that she was indeed making progress. After all, she'd need to be a good student if she hoped to fool Tuki, to make her drop her guard and this was but the first step in her endeavour. It would be a long game, but she had time...It was pretty much the only thing she had, actually.

"Now, we'll go on and go forth with hip twists~" Tuki said, taking a stance so as to show just what she meant. Placing her hands on her hips, her wrists arched tightly and her arms settled hard, yet at the same time smoothly in the air, she then pushed her right hip to the forefront, followed by her left hip in the same way, alternating the two to create a pattern that was easy to follow. "You just move your hips upfront and then proceed with the other one, this time without moving your legs, torso or anything else besides your hips and waist. Just try first by pushing your right hip to the front~"

As Risky observed the moves themselves, she began to concentrate further as the expected happened: she got into a trance. No longer surprised by the methods of that snake teacher, she stopped resisting as this meant that she would be a bad student, that Tuki would need to keep her guard up when in Risky's proximity. Accepting that this would be a part of her plan, she did not put up a fight as her eyes spiraled into the complacency and the peaceful mindset of the hypnotic trance that had been settled beforehand. With her mind getting quiet and her worries simply vanishing once again, Risky even began to develop a certain liking to it, as it did alleviate a lot of her qualms and woes that would never leave her otherwise. Her body obeying the suggestion, she then tried to do as Tuki explained and pushed her right hip to the forefront, trying to make sure nothing else would move beside it.

"Good. You're getting it~" Tuki said, mightily pleased, slowing down the pace of her moves so that Risky could follow, never letting up her hypnotic aura. "Now, try to follow up with your left hip and then proceed with the right one. Do so slowly, at your own rhythm. Take your time~"

And so Risky tried, at first struggling with it as she wasn't accustomed to letting her legs stay put. At times, her own body felt awkward as her upper body followed, which she knew was a major mistake, yet she tried to take it down a notch, truly making sure that she'd get it right as she slowed down, as per Tuki's suggestion. It was a little more difficult and demanding than those hip bumps, yet she could take it as her focus grew, diminishing the effort that it took as she felt no fatigue or pain, nor any anguish or furthermost desires than the will to do this move correctly for the time being.

"Your practice paid off, it seems," Tuki said with the hints of praise tinting her tone, as she then hummed a different song, placing a few hisses with the tune so as to create a different beat for Risky to dance to. "Now that you've understood the basis, let's try and see if you can go just a little faster. Try to follow the beat, my dear~"

The song was catchy and repetitive, making it easy to follow as Risky tried to go forth and do as Tuki said, her hip twists getting just a little faster, making them appear a little stronger, rougher. Having some difficulty in following with her body what her mind seemingly comprehended near-instantly, she still did her best as the hints of a smile formed upon her lips, the challenge apparently pleasing her for the moment.

"It's not easy to develop a true sense of rhythm. You'll get there eventually," Tuki said, trying to keep Risky's morale high as she then went on to snap her fingers, waking Risky from her trance without much of a warning. "Now, you ought to practice what you've learned and keep up with your previous lessons. I shall be back later with more to teach you~"

And, once more, Tuki got back into the pot before Risky could get a word in, too groggy and disoriented from the act of waking up from her trance. A little troubled from what they spoke of about hypnosis and her own hidden desires, Risky could remember all those times that she was content, even happy, while under the hypnotic sway of Tuki. She always seemed to naturally smile whilst under, when she danced. Unsure whether she was truly enjoying it or because it was a result of her trance toying with her emotions and her appreciation, this left her confused as she tried to ponder upon a great many things that she had simply pushed away from her thoughts for so long. Why exactly did she want to become a pirate in the first place? Why did she accumulate so much loot, only to pile it up in her ship? Why did she prefer the silent obedience and companionship of the tinkerbats? Why was she even battling against Shantae of all people when she knew for a fact, after many encounters, that she would lose? Was it sheer obstination? Determination? Pride? With what was revealed to her making her question a great many things about her whole life, there was the thought that this was Tuki's doing, making her doubt her entire person and her acts by putting her under hypnosis...Or it simply was because she was beginning to understand herself better now. The latter being frightening, leaving her slightly depressed and somewhat ashamed, Risky did the only thing that she knew would distract her for the moment.

She danced.

Granted, this was something that she barely knew how to do, that had been possibly instilled in her by Tuki and her hypnosis, yet it was the only thing that she knew would make her feel better. Closing her eyes and humming the song, she then bumped her hips, then twisted them to have a better control of her body, to try to think of something else. The fact that she was fleeing those questions, evading a train-of-thought that could invalidate her own choices, was irrelevant for the time being. For now, she trained, she practiced what little she knew and that would be it. With her dancer's outfit seemingly fitting her better now, as far as she was concerned, she continued and let herself get lost in the moment, to try to make sure she'd get better and better.

Soon, a routine was set in Risky's life as Tuki always came back with food and conversation, to try to make it so Risky would not starve or become insane in her isolation. Ever gentle, the menacing tone from their first encounter was long gone, never to be used again by the serpentine teacher as Tuki seemed to encourage her to continue, to proceed with her dancing. Near-dismissive and with very few words to share, Risky eventually began to share a few tidbits of herself and a few questions of her own, most of it related to dancing. She wanted to know how to replicate some moves that she had seen Shantae use, or how she could better distribute her weight. The talks, which were brief and to the point at first, became more and more elaborate until they turned into discussions. The hatred that she nonchalantly threw at Tuki began to dissipate, turned into genuine curiosity and acceptation as her predicament began to get less and less constrictive in its nature. Whether it was due to her mind accepting and adapting to her captivity or because she honestly seemed to enjoy having nothing to truly bother her, she knew not, nor did she care about the question.

Sure enough, plenty of actually important questions came to her mind, with most being left unanswered either because it did not matter anymore or because she did know the answers to them. Would her life have turned out better where she to have met Tuki instead of the Pirate Master? Was she beginning to feel remorse for her actions? Was she actually pursuing Shantae because of reasons that were in no way connected to vengeance or retribution? Was she angry at the world, or simply at herself? She was at a crossroad right now, her life on the verge or solid validation or a huge change that could make everything better or worse. She still wanted to get out of this place, yet what would she do with what she had learned? Would she still dance, or would she forget about it and resume her old life? Could she simply go back as if nothing had ever happened? With time being an absent entity here, as far as she knew, it could have been seconds or years since she was trapped here, with no way to properly know the true answer to the eternal question of time. Still, even under this barrage of would-be and what-if, she had one activity that started as an obligation, turned into a guilty pleasure until it morphed into a genuine one: dancing.

What started as rough, slow and downright amateurish began to develop as a little more fluid and precise, with the bumps and twists making ways for figure-eights, circles, drops and other such moves. Then her chest, her arms, her legs and her head joined in onto the fray, with Risky having a better control of her stance and her balance, all those years of getting stronger actually helping her out with her stamina. What truly helped, though, was the hypnosis and Tuki's guidance, making her understand much faster some difficult concepts, making her focus easily on certain spots and certain parts of her body as it brought a delightful tranquility that Risky could no longer deny that she enjoyed. To see Tuki dance was to bask in beauty and grace, to open her mind to other possibilities as she brought such happy feelings in her that it did not bother her anymore that she wasn't in control for small amount of times. She trusted Tuki, knowing that she wouldn't take advantage of her in this space, that the lessons were genuine and that Risky could simply follow the suggestions to become a better dancer. She began to crave those words of praise, an indicative that she was progressing and that Tuki was happy about that, that her own achievements seemingly made someone smile, a different reaction from the usual acts she committed in the past.

This continued thusly for a while, until Risky then went on to finally ask an important question to Tuki as they ate together, a moment that they began to share together more and more often. Gulping down some wine to gather some courage, something that she never felt she lacked of in her life until this moment, she looked at her teacher with a timidity that was very much unlike her. "Will I ever be able to leave this place?" she asked, dropping this massive query on Tuki, almost afraid of the answer she'd get.

"I do not know," Tuki asked, honest to a point as she looked at Risky with a concerned look. "I've seen you grow under this passion of yours and I truly do believe that you've reformed, that you've actually started to change for the better. But I fear the rest of the world will not necessarily feel that way. It does not erase the many crimes you've committed in the past..."

Of course, it couldn't be so simple. While she had surprisingly enjoyed her time here, away from her old habits and from herself, Risky did yearn for freedom, to truly be able to interact with people and with the real world. Yet, Tuki had a point as another question popped up within Risky's mind, one that she felt much-less afraid to ask. "Why did you first menace me when I got here, only to start acting much nicer? It didn't make any sense back then and it still doesn't now."

"Because I was angry. At you and at what you represented back then," Tuki said, adding some weight and pressure to the conversation as her happy-go-lucky attitude dropped for a spell. "The Pirate Master cost the life of many of my friends back in the days and you seemed to make it impossible for my other student to grow up as a dancer because of your interference. I wanted you to stop and to just be gone while I focused on her...But then I had a change of heart..."

"Why is that?" Risky asked, looking at Tuki with curiosity as this was the first time that she ever talked a little more about herself beside the banalities that she usually shared.

"I've grown too, in my own ways, because of Shantae," Tuki explained, almost chuckling in embarrassement at her own admission. "She is such a gentle soul, so earnest and passionate that I did not want to disappoint her. She'd be crossed with me were I to just let you die, to just let you rot there without giving you another chance. I figured that, with the number of times that she gave you the opportunity to learn from your mistakes, I could do the same and try my best."

With the revelation that even her arch-nemesis did not seem to truly want her to suffer, Risky did not know how to respond to that. For the first time, no rebuttal, no quips or no sassy remark made their way out of her mouth as she was astonished by the amount of good that could actually be in the universe. Perhaps the lesson of survival of the fittest, of strength over morals and of taking what she wanted when she wanted were the wrong ones, then. If someone believed her to be better than she was, why not simply try to follow that standard instead of setting it aside? What did she have to lose, really? "Is there any way for me to go out there, to start anew? Do you think it's possible?"

"I can't simply hypnotize the whole world to forget about you. Not only it would be too much work, but it simply can't really be done in any conceivable ways, sorry," Tuki explained, herself feeling a little sorry for Risky, until a new idea popped up. "But perhaps I could change you instead."

"What do you mean?" Risky asked, already somewhat aware of what was implied, yet wishing to hear it all the same to give her some time to think about it.

"If I were to change your fundamentals, to create a new identity and mannerism for you, then perhaps it could work and you'd get the second chance that I feel you've truly earned," Tuki said, feeling the importance of her words as she spoke calmly, looking at Risky during her speech. "I'd need to hypnotize you and to make you forget some elements of your life, to rearrange memories and your own ideals to better suit your needs and your desires, to make it seem credible by making you believe it all earnestly. You'd have to discard your old self and become someone else, to work with me in order to achieve that. Are you sure you want that?"

Thinking it all over, what had her old life made her achieve? Sure, she had her own ship and her own crew, the freedom to sail over all the seas and do what she wants, but what did she accomplish with all of that? She was mostly alone even with the tinkerbats. She had made enemies in every ports and ever cities. She had the greatest amount of riches and loot in the world, yet no place in which to spend it. She had freedom to go where she pleased, yet nowhere where she was truly wanted. In truth, she had lived a miserable existence, constantly convincing herself otherwise out of pride. With all of this going through her head, she looked at Tuki and finally answered. "I'm ready. I think I'll try to be better and I trust you to help me with this."

With a nod, Tuki began to sway her hips as Risky looked with a purpose at the dance that was performed, not averting her gaze or changing her mind int he process...

Shantae was exhausted.

Now that her activities as the Guardian Genie of Scuttle Town were severely less preeminent, her other job and her passion had taken precedence in her everyday life: that of a skilled belly-dancer working at the dancing hall. Besides a few bandits here and there and some small trouble near the borders of Sequin Land, it seemed that something had changed. With no more visits from Risky Boots, it had been months since the town had not been burned down to a crisp, which was a pleasant change of pace. However, this made it so she was much more active at the dancing hall, which gave way to a lot of personal profit and a ton of enjoyment, even though it drained her stamina constantly. Landing on her bed with a content sigh, she was snapped back to reality as hisses were heard nearby, an indicative that her mentor was appearing out of the pot that was placed in her chamber.

"You seem tired, my dear pupil. I take it that you've danced all day?" Tuki said, pleased with this possibility as she began to occupy more space by letting her tail get out from the pot. "I take it you've practiced a lot over there?"

"Yes. I made a lot of performances today and people seemed to love it," Shantae replied, sitting up on the edge of her bed so as to look at Tuki, a tired smile on her face. "The others were awed by how good I've become, though I have to say I've been rather impressed by a new dancer in the hall today."

"Oh?" Tuki reacted, getting closer as she nudged Shantae to go on. "Someone skilled, then?"

"Yes. I've never seen her before, but she seemed to possess a grace and a certain enthusiasm that gave way to a certain...I don't know...aura, I guess?" Shantae tried to explain, seemingly unable to grasp her fingers around why she had enjoyed seeing that new girl. "She was white-skinned, wore black and red, had long purple hair arranged into a braid, yet for all that sinister look, she seemed in bliss, actively enjoying what she was doing. She even did some moves that seemed almost serpentine in how fluid they were."

"Well, that's my new pupil for you. I wanted to talk to you about her, actually," Tuki said with a little smile on her face, beginning to tease Shantae anew. "You're not my only student, you know?"

"Well, she has talent," Shantae said, happy that Tuki was seemingly taking in other people in to make then learn this beautiful and noble art. "Perhaps you could arrange for her to have lessons alongside me? I'd love to see where she's at currently, what her level is."

"Oh, I bet she'd love to~," Tuki said with a little smirk on her face, content about the way things were going.

"I bet she'd love to..."


	4. The Snake's Secret

Shantae: The Snake's Secret

Why was no one else bothered but her?

Here she was, dressed as if she belonged, chatting them up with a friendly smile, acting like a regular human being and nobody seemed to be against that. Had they all forgotten how evil she was? The number of times she had pillaged and burned Scuttle Town? What her title was? Was no one else but Sky seeing that Risky Boots had infiltrated Sequin Land with the simplest of disguises? It was exceptionally obvious and yet nobody realized nor cared!

"So...Whatcha doing staring at my girlfriend, Sky?" a familiar voice beckoned to her, the dull-witted yet mostly dependable Bolo said as he arrived on the scene, eyeing Risky Boots as they each sent one another a friendly wave. "Has she done something?"

"What do you mean, has she done something?" Sky said, appalled by this kind of reaction. She should have foreseen that Bolo would be distracted with anyone showcasing cleavage and a less prude demeanor, yet to think that even someone who had fought against her would be prone to forgetting just what the Queen of the Seven Seas looked like. "She has purple hair, wear purple, red and black, she has super pale skin...Come on!"

"Yeah, and she has nice curves and seems super kind..." another voice followed, this one more mischievous as Rottytops made her way onto the scene as if uninvited. "I bet she'd be reaaaaaal fun to corrupt...Or that her brain tastes super good~"

Both Rotty and Bolo went on to look at Sky as she made some silent gestures of exasperation, looking at Sky, then at the new dancer in town and then back at her. "I mean...It's Risky Boots! The Queen of the Seven Seas! Shantae's arch-nemesis! And Bolo's...Wait, did you say girlfriend?" Sky said, stopping her rant right there as she looked at Bolo with a look that mixed surprise, shock and disgust all together.

"Woah there, lucky you~" Rottytops said, winking and nudging at Bolo as she looked at obviously not-Risky. "Care to introduce me to her?"

"Yeah, we hit it off pretty well actually. Been dating for about two weeks. I mean, she's pretty-" Bolo began to say, half-ignoring what Sky was saying until he computed it all in his head. "What, you mean my girlfriend is Risky Boots?"

"Awesome!"

"No, that is not awesome, Rotty!" Sky replied a little too loudly, getting the attention of passerbys and some merchants who seemed to wonder what this commotion was all about. Sensing that they were making a scene, Sky moved a little out of the way, prompting the others to follow her. "I mean, I've tried talking about it to others and nobody seems to see the same thing that I'm a witness to. Risky Boots is just walking by with no problem and it doesn't really seem to be particularly stressful or dangerous to anybody. Something is up and I think we have to act as a team."

"Why us? Just go to Shantae. She'll kick her behind and that'll be the end of it," Bolo answered, finding this dramatic turn to be a little too obvious as he glanced back at his girlfriend, who waved back again as she got in the dance parlor. "...You know what? I'm not sure if I believe you. I think you're just jealous that I have a girlfriend and that you don't."

"I'm jealous."

"Quiet, Rotty," Sky said, trying to manage the easiest situation, and by that she meant person, out of the two. "So you mean that I'm jealous of you having a girlfriend, something I've just learned a minute ago...and thus that's why I summoned you two right here?"

"Uh...Well time is relative, they say. Genie magic...I dunno..." Bolo said, mumbling a little before regaining some of his senses. "Fine. Okay, but that still doesn't answer why you haven't told Shantae about it."

"She doesn't believe me. She really think this...What is her 'name' this time around?"

"Kirsy Toobs."

"Thanks Bolo. Anyway, she really believes that this Kirsy right here is genuinely a new arrival. She worries about me and think that I should go talk to Kirsy about it," Sky continued, making sure that no one else was savvy about this discussion they were having. "I think we might have a spot of amnesia or, I dunno, some kind of mind control in town that prevents anyone from seeing the truth. Memory control, perhaps, just like last time."

"What about last time?" Bolo asked, crossing his arms with a puzzled look on his face. "I don't remember losing my memory or anything of the sort."

"Me neither!" Rottytops added, only to then make a little smirk at both of her friends. "But that's probably because of my rotting brain."

"Actually, I don't either, but Shantae told me that someone had made it so the whole town couldn't remember her and it was due to...someone...Seriously I can't remember who it was, that wanted to be remembered forever," Sky explained, sincerely unable to be reminded of who it was that enacted that dastardly plan. "But Shantae told me and I believe her. I think a similar spell is at work here and I can make an assumption that she's been targeted too."

"So...we go and have ourselves an adventure, braving countless dangers with our wits and our skills?" Rottytops asked, her excitement seemingly growing with each syllable that passed through her lips. "We gotta bring Shantae in! It's no fun doing this without her."

"Actually, anyone who can transform into an elephant or a harpy is welcome to join any adventure party in my book," Bolo said, promptly ignoring what Sky had said earlier about Shantae being perhaps affected by something too.

They did have a point, somewhat, as Sky rethought about it all and did see that Shantae would be perhaps more convinced that something is not right if Bolo and Rottytops would join her. The power of many, of conviction, would surely make it so she'd give them the benefit of the doubt. If someone was bound to believe her, it was Shantae and it was better to have her on their side. "Alright, I think you two may be right. We'll go to her home and try to make her see reason."

With a nod, and a few instances of trying to keep Rotty in check, the trio went on to get to Shantae's home, the lighthouse that stood a little away from the docks. Knocking on the door, nothing seemed to happen as Sky seemed to shrug. "Well, she's not home, might as well-"

"Just enter to see if she's there or asleep? Sure!" Rotty said as she opened the door, which was curiously unlocked, allowing herself in as Sky went on to try to stop the zombie girl from committing a crime, yet when Bolo was following suit, she only sighed and entered just like the other two did.

The place was somewhat clean and well-organized, which was rather anormal considering Shantae once revealed to her that she never really seemed to remember what was in there or not, a particular event with a baththub being a perfect example of this. Here, though, everything was normal, which was irregular as Shantae never had the time to clean up or to sort things out. Truly, there was something suspicious here and Sky would get at the bottom of it. "Okay...so..." Sky went on to say aloud, about to start deducing information in order to make use of their collective heads, only to look at what Rottytops was doing. "Rotty, I don't think we'll find a clue in Shantae's underwears, so close that drawer."

"Awwww..."

"Hey, I remember this. I found it during an adventure back in the days," Bolo said, pointing out at a pot that seemed immaculate, shiny even. There was a luster to it, unnatural, that drew the gaze as Sky eyed the object with curiosity.

"What do you mean? Where did you find it?" Sky asked, getting close to Bolo as he inspected the pot closely.

"Well, it's ancient alright. We're talking 23rd Sequinian dynasty, around the time when genies were commonplace in towns and palaces alike...or as commonplace as they could be. The time before the Pirate Master made a wreck of things, well before that too," Bolo said, gazing at the pot as he touched its surface and observed the patterns. "Judging by the work there, the absence of imperfection and the choice of color, I'd say that this is a genuine artifact made by genies...For genies."

A long moment of silence installed itself as Sky and Rotty were far too busy being astonished by the actual knowledge and care that Bolo had for history, a side that they never knew him to possess, as Sky found some new respect for her friend's intelligence. "And where did you see it? What did you do with it?"

"Oh, I found it in some dunes a while ago. I tried to smash it in to get some gems and it didn't budge, nor did it break," Bolo continued matter-of-factly, as if this was mundane and uninteresting.

"Then what happened?" Sky asked, getting quite interested now as even Rotty seemed to stop trying to find out every little secrets about Shantae's home life to listen to Bolo.

"Oh, I can't remember. It's all a blur after that. I only remember that I continued the adventure and that's it," Bolo went on to say, laughing out loud as if this was the funniest joke he ever told, dropping the tension out of the room near instantly.

Sighing, Sky did not exactly know what to expect after all of that, yet Bolo did say something crucial. This was possibly a genie artifact and there were more than a single one of them...possibly. After what Bolo had said, she wasn't quite sure how much credit to give to him as she looked toward the other person in the room, Rotty...who was playing with the pot. "Rotty, what are you doing?"

"Oh, just trying to lift it up...And it won't budge," the zombie girl said, her actual strength being more than fair as she then looked at the content of said pot and then snapped a finger off her hand, then dropped it inside. "Oh hey...there's no bottom!"

"What are you doing, Rotty?" Sky said, rushing toward her rather literally brain dead friend as both Bolo and Rotty were looking at the pot from above, as if fascinated by what they discovered. Soon, Sky did actually see that Rottytops was indeed telling the truth in that there was no end to this, just a long hole that descended to nowhere, which made no sense considering that this should lead to the sea just below. Perhaps Bolo was on to something as Sky went toward the window to try to think without any distraction, without any impulsive actions or idiotic remarks from those two. If she recalled right, she did actually see that pot in other spots as well, though it was always hidden in plain sight along with other pots. Jogging her memory, she remembered seeing one at the dance parlor, one in the bazaar, one at the docks even...In fact, if she hadn't actually seen it here as Bolo pointed it out, she might never have recognized or paid attention to it. Perhaps this was all linked as she turned around to try to get this lead to go somewhere, to talk to Bolo and Rottytops...Yet they were nowhere to be found. "Bolo? Rotty?"

No answer was heard, as if they had vanished without a trace. Where had they gone to? Had they just left her there? Perhaps Rotty had just been distracted, getting Bolo to follow along within a moment's notice, leaving Sky all alone as an unfortunate result. Or maybe something more sinister was afoot as she approached from the pot, looked down...

And then nothing but darkness greeted her.

...

She woke up groggily at first, until surprise made it so she jumped right out of her torpor in but a few seconds. A little shaken up, she tried to readjust to her surroundings...Yet all she saw in front of her was an horizon of void, stretching into perceivable infinity. It was an ethereal realm, a void of clarity that was devoid of much of anything save for a single thing that seemed to be repeating itself constantly and without end: the pot that they had witnessed in Shantae's house.

There were rows and rows of them, some of them even labelled as if to correctly remember just what they were for whoever were using them. Shantae... Dance Parlor... Docks... Mountain... Dunes ... Factory... Hyrule... Whatever Hyrule was, this pot possibly lead there as they were portals to other places, perhaps other continents as well. This was a huge discovery, yet somebody clearly made it way before her as Sky went on to look around until she witnessed Bolo and Rotty hanging together, looking at the pots too.

"I thought you ran out on me..." Sky said, actually afraid for them as she approached and gave them a hug. "But now it seems like we're somewhat okay...Albeit in a strange place."

"I tried some of them already!" Rotty said, ever the least prudent person in the world as she smiled at what she had attempted. "It lead me to a lot of places, some I didn't even recognize! Perhaps if I use them right, I could sneak up on Shantae at night..."

That sinister little smirk did not exactly reassure Sky, yet it did confirm her theory that this was some kind of teleportation hub. The genie's magic was immense enough to make it so they could produce such wonders back in the days. Now, they knew that they were genie artifacts, that they lead everywhere and that they were connected...Yet someone was using those and they were perhaps the culprit behind all this amnesia, all this mind-waving nonsense with Risky Boots...Or at least they knew who might be. They moved together to inspect some more until they spotted one pot out of the lot that was extremely different than the rest of them, one with a different shape, a handle, a lid and a spout.

"You know, by the looks of it, it almost seems like it's a genie's lamp, yet in blue and purple," Bolo said, voicing out the obvious yet it was quite true. It almost looked like the genie's lamp that Risky had used in the past to capture Shantae's genie side, creating Nega as a result.

"What happens if we rub it?" Rottytops said, extending her hand to do the deed until she was stopped in her tracks by Sky. "But whyyyyyyy?"

"We don't know if there's a genie in there and if there is one...We don't know if it's kind or malevolent. We really shouldn't mess up with that object without taking some precau-"

"You know, I can hear you just fine from where I am..."

That voice interrupted Sky as it seemed to belong to no one she could identify. It was a woman, a mature one by the sounds of it, yet it seemed to come directly from the lamp/pot hybrid that was near them. A little dumbfounded and apprehensive, both Bolo and Sky took a step back, yet Rottytops didn't as if her curiosity was far too strong to deny. The "lamp" shook and the lid popped open, snapping away to the ground as a thick green amount of smoke poured out. The smoke went on to coalesce into something more tangible as a humanoid form took its place while the smoke continued to pour out as if unending, with spots of brown and beige forming circles. The human part was full of scales that took shape as it twirled into something more tangible, more real to the naked human eye. Rotty herself went on to get in the middle of it due to her not budging, the smoke forming a thick serpentine tail that went on to threateningly get very close to her. Green scales, light cream underbelly with brown circles around being spots, the tail kept on going as it moved around toward the pots, never clashing or even touching them as it occupied more and more space. Eventually, the smaller frame at the top, the human half, formed itself into shape as wide hips, long crimson hair, a generous amount of cleavage, a sultry smile with a forked tongue slipping in and out and deep blue irises atop yellow eyes made it so she was revealed in full...Or about in full as her tail still seemed to keep on getting longer and longer.

"I don't take kindly to intruders, especially those who find out the truth about me..." the snake genie said as she coiled around Rotty to immobilize her, bringing the rest of her tail around Sky and Bolo to do the exact same thing. "And I especially don't like those who come in bashing on my home either."

She looked at Bolo with a little glare before she regained a certain composure, keeping Rotty in place as she towered above both Sky and Bolo due to her height, width and generally large appearance. They felt threatened, of course, as Bolo prepared his flail for combat while Sky tried to devise a way by which they could escape. It seemed like they had indeed done something terribly stupid, yet one quick glance by this snake djinn was followed by a mellowing of her expression and then a question.

"Are you Bolo, Sky and Rottytops, by any chance?" she asked, her forked tongue darting at them as she observed them more closely, her tail still pouring out of the "lamp" while it circled around and around both intruders that weren't still in her grasp.

"And what if we are?" Sky said, preferring to be defiant to the end instead of meek and prone in front of a vicious predator.

"Yeah, we totally are!" Rottytops said, feeling the soft scales against her palm as she was obviously fascinated, perhaps even turned on by this position she found herself in. "I'm Rotty, the dullard here is Bolo and the blonde is Sky!"

Sky gave a scornful glare toward Rottytops while Bolo seemed determined to fight off this obviously powerful creature. The situation was tense...until it wasn't as the snake woman went on to change her expression rather quickly. "Oh, okay then," she simply said, removing Rottytops from her coils, which disappointed her somewhat, her threatening presence seemingly gone in a flash. "Can't harm the precious friends of my star student...Or the boyfriend of my newest one. That would be pretty impolite of me. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Tuki."

"Uh...Hello..." Bolo said, his expression turning to confusion, then to quick acceptance as he just stared at the snake genie now, putting his mace away. As if looking at her for the first time, there was actually plenty to love on a purely visual way when it came to Tuki as he unwittingly glanced perhaps a little too much at her and her assets, her wide hips, her gold belly ring, her cleavage barely held together by a tight black bra, the loincloth adorned to a golden clasp around said wide hips and so forth. She even sported those golden armbands which many genies wore back then, an indicative that she was perhaps exactly what the lamp suggested: a genie. "I thought genies were all gone."

"Mostly retreated to the genie realm...Those that survived, that is. It's complicated," Tuki responded, her demeanor now much more friendly as she tossed a green finger back at Rottytops. "Please do not throw your trash in my pots. They're not wastebaskets."

"Okay, sure."

"What the hell? Isn't anybody going to ask who she truly is, what she's doing here, what the pots are, who the star pupil or the newest one is and so forth? Isn't anybody curious at all?" Sky said, a little exasperated as she eyed Bolo and Rottytops with an annoyed look on her face. "We have a bonafide genie here, we discovered an artifact, a teleportation room and we're just chatting her up?"

"Well...Yeah. I mean, just bombarding her with questions would be rude," Bolo retorted, a little surprised at Sky's reaction as he was joined by Rottytops in this gesture. "Genies were benevolent beings, last I heard."

"That, and she's sexy as hell."

Ignoring Rottytops comment about the more serpentine genie, Sky did see that perhaps Bolo was right, yet there were still a lot of untold answers in this mystery that was Risky's appearance in town as "Krisy Toobs". She needed to understand, if only to know a certain amount of peace. "I know it's a lot to ask, but could you please answer my questions?"

"Wow, Shantae really did describe you three perfectly. I shouldn't have asked any questions, just your bickering would have been enough," Tuki said with a light chuckle before she got lower down to the ground, showing a more welcoming disposition. "But okay, fair enough. I'm Shantae's dance teacher...And Krisy's as well. They're both my pupils and I'm helping them discover new things about themselves in many ways. I'm, what you could say, a dance prodigy~"

A quick sway of those hips, a few circles and all three could certainly believe that she knew what she talked about. There was something inherently mesmerizing about her motions, yet those lasted only for a few seconds as they gathered their wits quickly, though some quicker than others. "Krisy is Risky Boots, isn't she?"

"You're correct. I saw that pirate as a distraction to Shantae, to her growth as a dancer, as a half-genie and just as a person. I also saw Risky as being a distraction to Risky herself and to her personal growth, so I had to take care of it too," Tuki explained, trying not to go into too many details as she hand-waved the explanation a bit. "I removed her from the game, we had a chat, agreed on some things, made her discover new ways to channel her desires, her anger and so forth and now she's a new person...as per an agreement we have made."

"And so she's become a dancer...But she's still technically Risky Boots?" Bolo asked, getting more interested in this as it did concern his girlfriend now, which he now had to admit what actually Risky Boots of all people. Somehow, now that she kind, which she actually was in person, he could live with that. "Why is she so different then? Risky was haughty, naughty and downright evil at times. Krisy is a different person altogether."

"Oh, the answer to that is hypnosis. You can learn and unlearn plenty when it's involved," Tuki answered nonchalantly, not hiding the fact that she could actually brainwash people in the slightest. "I made it so Risky, with her accord, would turn into Krisy...Then again I do wish the name she subconsciously chose was not an anagram of Risky Boots, but what can you do...Anyway, I changed her mannerism, her personality, her goals and so forth to make sure she'd get a second chance."

"And does Shantae know?" Sky asked, feeling adversarial in front of this genie, of this being who seemed to have so many answers, who tampered with the order of things yet that they had only recently learned about.

"Yes. I talked to her about it. She was reluctant at first, but she's become good friend with Krisy and, well, without any pirate attack she can focus on other things, like dancing for instance," Tuki responded, not shaken in the slightest by the more confrontational approach that Sky was having in their conversation. "Frankly, do you believe Shantae would not be open to second, third or even a millionth chance for someone to change their ways?"

This was true. Shantae was perhaps, at most times, a model of decency as she always did her best and gave people the benefit of the doubt. A little too good-hearted for her own well-being at times, but then again people wouldn't love her so much if it wasn't for that. It seemed like this Tuki actually did know Shantae well enough to say such things, which alleviated some of Sky's trouble about the whole situation.

"Shantae must be quite happy that a genie like you acts as her personal instructor. She must have asked you plenty of questions," Bolo said, trying to take part in the conversation as his own gaze had been fixated on Tuki's general beauty, his own inability to focus somewhat helped out by just how generous her proportions were. "I mean, there are so many thing she doesn't know."

"I'm afraid I don't look like this when we meet, but like this," Tuki said, snapping her fingers as a puff of smoke went on to pop out from her entire body, creating lavender mist that swirled all around before showing off a more petite frame, something leaner and much less grandiose than the genie form she had presented herself in. Her hair was done in pig tails, she had no clothes, but also mostly vague impression of female anatomy and her hips and breasts were decidedly not as large. She still had an ungodly long tail, yet she seemed a little more mundane when compared to what she looked like prior. "So neither Krisy nor Shantae actually knows I'm a genie. As a matter of fact, they're not ready to know."

"But why?" Rottytops asked, herself having said close to nothing to observe the increasingly captivating sight of the elongating tail, never-ending its constant summoning from the "lamp".

"After she defeated the Pirate Master, we felt that Shantae has awakened to a potential that is near-limitless. Getting her genie powers back, and then some, made it so she's more attuned to her magical side and someone needed to make sure she'd get some good training...And some back-up if necessary. I opted to be the one as I could be almost everywhere at once if need be thanks to my pots," Tuki explained, snapping her fingers anew to regain her much more regal appearance from before, creating some more of those lavender swirls of smoke in the process. "She can't know because she's not ready yet. Some things are coming her way, some difficult challenges and we feel the fate of mankind, of djinn-kind, of just about everyone, might rest on her shoulders. I promised someone that I would wait until revealing everything and I intend to keep that promise no matter what."

A little moment of silence, of solemnty, passed through the void in which they were all present. This was important information, crucial even, and Sky felt conflicted about a lot of things at the moment. Tuki was certainly helping if she actually managed to change Risky's mind voluntarily, though she had her doubts about that, and went on to train Shantae. It was true that Shantae was able to manage more transformations and spells lately, something that Sky had meant to ask about yet never had the chance to question her half-genie friend about. This answered that in a sense, which made her sigh as perhaps she had jumped to certain conclusions. "Well, I'm very glad you trust us not to divulge your secret, Tuki. It means a lot to us that you think we can keep our mouth shut about everything that you've revealed. I promise that we won't talk about it until you're ready."

"I'm sorry...But talking about it was more for my sake than yours. Keeping a big secret like this, an important one at that, especially from someone as sweet and special as Shantae...It's hard," Tuki revealed, showing a certain instance of vulnerability on her part before she steeled her resolve and then changed her expression and demeanor in a flash, showing a more confident and almost sultry nature. "You'll have to forgive me if I really can't allow you to remember any of this."

A single second had passed as her tail circled around Bolo, Sky and Rottytops in a flash, doing so effortlessly and with no pain whatsoever for her trip of captive. Too fast for them, they were unable to dodge or even move in time as they were imprisoned within coils whose softness and warmth seemed to sap their strength. Too surprised to react in time, all they could do was struggle and fail miserably at any attempt to escape. Flabbergasted at how easy it had been for Tuki, Sky tried to piece things together and finally realized it: she hadn't stopped elongating her tail while they talked, so it meant that she had all ample time to prepare for this. Their dulled senses was possibly due to the smoke which she made erupt from her body, the faint scent actually very sweet now that she actually took the time to smell it. She never had any intention to let them remember any of this from what she could tell and now Sky felt extremely foolish for being so easily manipulated.

"So that's the moment where you hypnotize and eat us, isn't that right? Perhaps even create clones of ourselves so that you can go about with your plan without any interruption?" Sky asked, very angry about the situation as the scales and underbelly of thet snake genie felt, unfortunately, very good against her exposed skin. "You're just making it so anyone who disagrees with you will be disposed of! You monster!"

"Such vivid imagination. Let me say this to you, Sky: as Shantae's friend, I would not _dare_ bring her one iota of unhapiness. She is extremely respected in the Genie Realm and we want what is best for her. As such, harming you would be quite the opposite of what would make Shantae happy," Tuki said, her tone a little more serious at the start, yet almost playful the more she spoke as he forked tongue brought some hisses along with her speech. "And really? Eating you? I don't eat humans...And certainly not zombies."

"I'm spoiled rotten!" Rottytops said, always the one to say what was on her mind, mostly because her brain couldn't always keep the information she came up with stored efficiently.

"So what are you going to do with us then?" Bolo asked, trying desperately not to look like he was enjoying the contact of this woman who was gently but assuredly keeping him in place.

"Well...I did mention something that I could do earlier..." Tuki said teasingly, putting a hand in her hair and swishing it in one stroke so as to look dramatic. "Hypnosis, of course~"

The mere mention of that went on to make it so the lavender swirls divided itself into three clouds that went on to invade Sky, Bolo and Rottytops mouth and nostrils, effectively pouring themselves into their lungs and stomach as they coughed at first, but then Bolo and Sky went on to sigh without really meaning to, feeling a soft warmth build up within their body as they relaxed in the coiled embrace of this serpentine genie. Rottytops, however, did not seem to really register anything as she looked at the situation and saw that, maybe, it was time to act a little more intelligently for the time being.

"Allow my odor to really sink in and watch my beautiful body as I'll start to dance. You will soon see..." Tuki went on to say, clanging her armbands together while she rose her hands and arms in the air. "That I'm an excellent performer~"

Those thick and wide hips went on to bump one time to the right, then three more times as if to start an engine that was within the large and beautiful body of the genie. Each bump seemed to make Sky and Bolo more attentive before Tuki actually went on to sway them very carefully, slowly, in front of their eyes as they were brought a little closer to her, their coil cocoon entrapping them from their ankles to their neck. Sky tried to close her eyes, yet even her eyelids would not respond as everything seemed to be in slow motion for her, everything except Tuki who was the exception to all her senses. She was gorgeous, her scales felt good against her skin, the taste and scent of her lavender perfume was divine and her voice seemed just...nice. Bolo, a victim of his own imagination and his inability to control said thoughts, fell quickly to the charms of this seductress as his gaze had been stuck on her from the start, his own mind already imagining sexy scenarios with this Tuki.

"In my more benign form, I am quite hypnotic...But in my domain, in my true shape...None can resist~" Tuki teased, getting both Bolo and Sky closer as they were but a meter away from her belly and hips, making sure they would focus on this and this alone. "Just let yourself relax as each sway makes you understand my appeal and the depth of my talent more and more...It's fascinating...Mesmerizing...Hypnotic even~"

Sky felt that she ought to resist somehow, to struggle as much as she could, yet any motion she made only had the result of rubbing herself against those scales, against the coils which entrapped her. There was no strength behind this tail, this grip that Tuki had on her. What she had was much more effective than that: pleasure control. The dance made her want to watch, the coils made her want to stay there, the two combining themselves to create the most sordidly effective method of capture: altering the will of the prey which she held as Sky was fighting a losing battle against her own desires which were conflicted: to stay within or to get away from Tuki's embrace.

Bolo, though, felt the same way yet his mind was much less prone to larger ideals and rationalization. He was more of a spur-of-the-moment kind of person and it felt so absurdly _good_ to be in this position. There was just something about Tuki that drew him in and that made it so easy to listen, to follow her words and to not think. He was good at not always thinking too deeply, but somehow she made it even easier for him to do so as he looked at that sumptuous belly of hers, the golden ring which seemed to draw and capture his gaze as his mouth hung open, his mind seemed to lose itself within the sweet trap of this Tuki.

Rottytops, though, had been positioned differently from the others and had actually managed something incredible: getting away from those coils. Tuki's attention, it seemed, was latched on the other two and it was down to her to save the day. Removing pieces of her body at a time by unsewing herself, it took but a little amount of time before she had replaced her own mass with a pot, an arm and a leg to simulate her own presence against this tail that had entrapped her so easily. The smoke having no effect on her due to her dead lungs, she crawled silently toward the "lamp", planning to do something drastic yet most assuredly necessary for everyone involved that wasn't this Tuki.

"It feels so nice to listen to my voice, to let my words into your mind and to look at my perfect dance...It calms you...Soothes you...Allows you to experience nirvana in a way that you weren't ready for, yet accepts wholeheartedly into your heart the more you stare at me~" Tuki said, changing her motions so that she'd twirl her hip forward, push her waist aside and then do the same in reverse from the opposite side, creating a rippling wave on her stomach while she combined hip circles with figure-eight. Only someone like her, both serpentine and of smoke quality, could do something so impossible and yet so alluring. Her navel ring shone, her scales glistened as the loincloth she wore swished in the air, creating more of that lavender smoke and scent that seemed to pacify both Bolo and Sky even further. "Nothing is wrong, no harm will be brought to you...Far from it in fact...You know you can trust me completely~"

Certain pathways into Sky's mind were closing down, removing questions and doubts from the equation to make it so she'd follow Tuki's narrative and suggestions. Yes, she had been kind enough to reveal plenty about herself, to let them into her domain and she was generous enough to let her see something so utterly _magnificent_. Gratitude and fascination piled on within her thoughts, supplanting many of her resistance as it was swayed away with every cycle, every rotation of those gorgeous hips. Her eyes eventually went on to emanate circles of green, brown and beige, mimicking the spots that Tuki had on her tail as Sky began to smile, feeling dizzy, relaxed and _oh-so-great_.

Bolo was gone even more quickly than that. Easily seduced, he just looked at the navel ring as it captivated him, hypnotized him into complacency, acceptance and divine bliss. She was a genie, an all-powerful, sexy and irresistible being and his knowledge of those facts merely cemented his own appreciation for such a moment. This was the woman whom Krisy took lessons from and it was hard not to picture Krisy moving so fluidly, so elegantly...So sensually. The same spots appeared in his eyes as his imagination, combined with the hypnosis that Tuki expertly weaved, made him such an easy target for such mind manipulation.

Rottytops, looking at the scene, knew that she did not have much time. Effectively, both Bolo and Sky were falling for Tuki's hypnotic antics big time and she couldn't exactly fault them. Tuki was indeed one very sexy, one very tempting snake gal. Still, she got close to the "lamp", grabbed her remaining leg and then prepared to smash it, hoping that this would perhaps destroy Tuki. A part of her thought that perhaps this might kill someone with good intentions, someone who could mayhaps be saved. She hesitated for a moment, thinking that Tuki had indeed solved the Risky Boots problem for them in a way and that Shantae was okay with it. However, such thoughts dissipated from her mind, her own problem being a severe lack of focus, restraint and impulse control as she opted instead to swing her leg and free her friends for immediate results. This only had the result of breaking the leg which she held, splitting it in two as the lamp/pot was much tougher, much more sturdy than anticipated. This resulted in Tuki's tail swiping her off from the floor, getting Rottytops closer to the other two.

"You really shouldn't do that. You're broken enough as it is. Here...Allow me to help you~" she said in a gentle, albeit playful manner as smoke erupted from her tail, which resulted in moans coming from both Bolo and Sky as the smoke was manipulated like tendrils, picking up the zombie's body parts and gathering them toward where Rottytops was held. In one swift cavalcade of actions, Rottytops was indeed sewed back together, held in one piece by genie magic before Tuki put on some more force in her coils around her zombie prisoner to hold her in place. "How silly of me to forget that you're a zombie. Let me do something to help you... _relax_ ~"

The smoke swirled and then penetrated Rottytops nostrils, yet instead they went up instead of down within her body as it caressed and moved through her dead brain, gently seeping itself into it as what was in her cranium absorbed Tuki's lavender smoke as if it were a sponge. This gave way to, for the first time in a long long while, sensations of pure relaxation as Rottytops sighed loudly as her body grew slack, slacker than it had even been in her undead life. And then she was moved closer to Tuki's dance and she felt nothing but elation, her increased brain activity effectively entrapping her further into Tuki's hypnotic expertise.

"You trust for me to make things better, to be your ally...Your _friend_ ~" Tuki said, her voice sounding extremely pleasant and honeyed as she went on to change her move to belly rolls and sways, creating a waving pendulum that all three could watch and be hypnotized by more effectively. She suck in her belly and extend it in such a way that it felt like water and vapor swishing around to their eyes, an illusion of sexy nature that they couldn't get enough of as the same circles appeared in Rotty's eyes, her own resistance but a joke when compared to Bolo's or Sky's own. "You're safe, warm and happy within my coils. My voice brings you nothing but joy. My dance is pure visual pleasure...So really there's no point in resisting as each second you stare makes you realize this, makes you understand this deep truth that I'm sharing with you. You're hypnotized...and you love _every seconds of it_ ~"

Sky had no more questions in her, no more queries within her head actually. It was not the time for puzzles, but for answers and she felt that Tuki had all of them. She smiled, drooled and her eyes were showing sweet circles as the hypnotic dance lulled everything out. Nothing was important as this present moment, this current situation, that she found herself in. She felt a connection to Tuki, she trusted her. She was so powerful, so smart, so much in control that she wholly accepted that she was hypnotized. What was the harm in that as her mind and body felt over-stimulated, caught in a bliss that made it impossible to do anything but gleefully accept whatever Tuki had in store for her.

Bolo was too seduced, too caught in his own lust and the only thoughts he had was to accept this. He enjoyed this far too much to properly think of any reason to resist, to defy the will of this genie. In fact, he enjoyed it too much to properly _think at all_. He accepted what was happening and just smiled goofily, his muscles lax, his body limp yet safely tugged within the coils of this delightful friend of theirs. She was an ally, a sexy one at that.

Rottytops just couldn't do anything but accept it all too. Deprived of sensations in many ways, she had no choice but to agree with the pleasure that her body, that her mind, was sending her way. It all due to Tuki and her magic and just for that she'd agree with anything that she said. She'd be hypnotized, enslaved even...And parts of her who understood that felt that this was an especially arousing and alluring prospect.

"Now I will tell you to forget that Krisy and Risky are the same person. They simply cannot be one and the same. In fact, you'll accept her into your social circle and help her accomodate to her new life, to her new surroundings. It's what I want, but most importantly...It's what _Shantae_ would want too~" Tuki said, using her star pupil as the strongest of argument as she knew that everyone in the room was connected by this one thing: wanting to help and assist Shantae in whichever way they could. As hypnotized as they were, there were still limits to what they'd accept. However, she knew them well enough from chats with Shantae that they'd do much of anything for her, including being brainwashed...Even if they weren't aware of it. "Bolo...Krisy is such a beautiful person, such a sexy dancer...that she cannot be Risky in any way. It's just impossible that a sweet girl like her could be a nefarious pirate, yes?"

No, it certainly made no sense at all and Bolo actually still had doubts about whether Tuki or Sky had been telling the truth, his thick-headed attitude preventing him from wholly accepting this. However, Tuki's word swayed him toward plainly refusing the theory that Krisy and Risky were one and the same. He loved Krisy and she loved him and that was all there was to it.

"Rotty, certainly there's nothing more you'd like to see than another pure-hearted, sexy dancer in town that you wish you could corrupt? Risky is corrupt to the bone, evil even, yet Krisy is too gentle for that, so it's impossible that they can be the same person, don't you agree?"

Rottytops could indeed see the logic behind that, though the loop part of it passed way over her head as she was too drunk on hypnosis and sensations to properly register any incongruity within Tuki's own explanation. At this point, her body and her brain would just accept about anything, including being nothing but a cucumber if Tuki asked, if this meant continuing this wonderful trip into ecstasy.

"Sky, Shantae trusts and enjoy's Krisy's company and so could you. It would be so much _easier_ for everyone if you could just accept that Risky Boots is no more. It would make both myself and Shantae so happy if yoy moved on and forgot all about this. Be a dear and forget~"

Sky actually did lose grip on the reason she had been there in the first place. Had there been something with Krisy, the new girl in town? There was something she had to remember, yet the dance and the sublime voice of this genie made it so hard to really gather her thoughts, to register anything beside what she said.

"You'll also forget everything that has happened here, the void, the pots, the fact that I'm a genie. You cannot help but obey my commands, deep into hypnosis and into accepting my words. You have fallen so deeply under my spell, my power, my sway, that it's impossible to deny me anything at this point~" Tuki said, going for shimmies as her serpentine body, her tail, shook more and more until it massaged all three of her captives, which resulted in sighs and moans of pure elation coming from their lips. "Each shakes of my body, each moments of bliss from my presence, my voice, my smell, my touch and my power makes it so you'll do nothing but obey my commands, my suggestions. It's all for me...All for Shantae that you do this~"

Their mind was of pure white, of nothing but forgetfulness as their memories were being retooled, switched out with the brainwashing, the mind-control, effectively making it so they understand that this was inevitable. Then they forget that they were hypnotized in the first place, effectively solidifying the hold which Tuki had on their mind as this was somewhat normal for them. Tuki had to be obeyed and that was that.

"Now I'll count to three and snap my fingers and you'll drift into a deep slumber...Then wake up later and remember none of this. You've had a normal, uneventful day and you'll feel like you'll want nothing more but to keep being very good friends to Shantae and this means helping Krisy out..." Tuki said,, slowing her shimmies as they turned into upward hip bumps, her generous waist effectively shaking with each bumps. Then, a wonderful idea came to her as she smirked mischievously. "And you'll want to get belly dance lessons to get closer to the both of them...Because you know that'll make both Shantae and Krisy _so happy~_ "

She lifted one hand in the hair, then prepared her fingers.

" _One~"_

The bumps seemed to reverberate inside their skull, sending new ideas and information for them to contend with. Yeah, Krisy was perhaps a sweet person that just needed some friends...

" _Two~"_

She was beautiful, Shantae liked her and that was enough for them. Any notions of Risky Boots being in the same equation as Krisy was patently absurd at this point. In fact, they wanted to get much closer to her now...

" _Aaaaaand... **three~** "_

 **SNAP!**

...

...

Why was no one else bothered but her?

Plenty of folks were kind to her, polite even, yet Sky could see rather quickly at first glance that this girl was new in town, that she came from afar. Her white skin, so pale in fact, was certainly not remotely close to the tanned or olive tints of those who had lived in Sequin Land all of their lives. She needed some assistance and mere kindness would not be enough. This person needed friends.

"Hey, so you've met my girlfriend?" Bolo said, arriving on the scene without so much as a hello or a proper introduction. "She's pretty, isn't she?"

"What, she's your girlfriend?" Another voice asked, belonging to Rottytops as she came in much like Bolo did, without so much as a greetings or any fanfare. "She's way out of your league...But still...Niiiiice~"

"Well I feel pity for her. It's been just about two weeks since she arrived as far as I know and I think she might be a little lost. Wouldn't you mind introducing us all to...What was her name again?" Sky asked, looking at Bolo.

"She's Krisy Boots and she works at the same place as I do," another voice said, joining the group of random and sudden introduction through segway sentences. "She's a dancer just like me!"

The excitation in that voice belonged to someone they all loved very much as Shantae arrived, the group effectively complete now. "Alright, I think we ought to introduce ourselves to the new girl and show her the place a little, have some fun too," Sky suggested with a smile on her face.

"Oooh, I wanna go to the bath house!" Risky said, eyeing Shantae, Sky and Krisy with a little grin on her face.

"Sure. We'll eat something and then we can walk around, chat and perhaps end the day at the dance parlor to see them in action, what do you think?" Sky asked, feeling that this might be a wonderful day for all of them, the kind that they didn't have in a long while.

"Sure. That works for me. I'll go get her and then we'll be on our way," Bolo said, leaving the group to go get Krisy included. As he did that, Sky went on to talk to Shantae a little more privately.

"Before all of this, I want to ask something...Do you know someone who might teach me how to...uh...belly dance?" she asked with a little hesitation in her voice, as if she was shy from asking something like this even to someone as trustworthy and kind as Shantae. "I want to learn, but I feel like I'd like private lessons and..."

"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Shantae said, a glimmer of pure joy in her eyes, her smile wide as three houses. "You might not believe me, but Bolo and Rotty asked me the same thing earlier today. We could take lessons together along with Krisy! We have the same teacher!"

"Is she...Is she good? She must be fantastic if she making **you** of all people learn something new about belly dancing," Sky theorized, quite curious about who this curious person might be.

"Oh, you'll love her. She's wonderful. Surprisingly kind and considerate too. She's a little special, but I think you'll get along with her," Shantae said, her description not doing much but her enthusiasm certain conveyed her trust in this person.

"And what's her name?"

"Tuki," Shantae responded, waving as Bolo arrived with Krisy, the new girl being somewhat shy around all these new people.

The name rung no bell for Sky, but if Shantae trusted and liked her, then she figured there would be no problem. Shantae was, most of the time, a good judge of character. Perhaps dancing all together would be fun too and so Sky felt a little trepidation at those thoughts while they went toward the bath house as per Rottytops suggestion.

Unbeknownst to them, they had been observed by someone who head popped out of a purple and blue pot, one with a big smile on her face...

One who certainly couldn't wait to teach more people about the noble, sexy and delightful art of belly dance.


End file.
